Crash near me; sad in all respects...

[legalspeed]

PLAISTOW, N.H. — An Amesbury man who police say was driving a stolen motorcycle south on Route 125 at close to 100 mph was killed yesterday when the bike hit a sport utility vehicle.

Killed was Jarret M. Martin, 25, 40 Orchard St., according to police.

The crash happened just moments after police say Martin took the motorcycle from Plaistow PowerSports. Police said Martin, who was carrying neither a wallet nor any other form of identification, hopped on the motorcycle, sped out of the lot and headed down the busy highway.

Plaistow PowerSports, 107 Plaistow Road (Route 125), reported the motorcycle stolen at 1:45 p.m. A minute later, Martin crashed the motorcycle into the passenger side of an SUV driven by Lauren Markarian as she made a left-hand turn into the parking lot of Kohl's department store, 30 Plaistow Road.

Deputy police Chief Kathleen A. Jones said Martin was flown by medical helicopter to Boston Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Markarian's age and hometown were not available. Police said she was alone in the SUV at the time of the crash.

Markarian was shaken up, but not hurt, police said.

Hawthorne, who responded to the scene, said that the man who crashed the motorcycle was so badly injured that it was difficult to guess his age or even give any identifying features. Plaistow police were unable to identify martin until this morning.

Plaistow PowerSports General Manager Chris Mackin said the motorcycle, a 2004 Yamaha R6 valued at $9,000, was stolen from the north side of the building near the service area. Mackin said the area was reserved for motorcycles that were in for service, not for sale, and that this particular motorcycle had been dropped off a few days ago to for some work before it was to be sold.

The motorcycle, totally destroyed in the accident, was returned to the store late yesterday afternoon.

Mackin said one of the members of the service department saw Martin jump on the motorcycle and speed off. A witness in the store at the time of the incident reported seeing another man with Martin who took the bike. The witness said the second man drove off in a black Chevy pickup truck after the bike was stolen.

Mackin described the model of motorcycle as the most popular sport bike. He said it was the first time in his 31/2 years with the company that something had been stolen from the store.

"It's a highly desired bike," Mackin said.

Route 125 northbound was closed at the Kohl's intersection and traffic was diverted through Chandler Avenue. Traffic was reduced to one lane southbound until the accident was cleared at 2:58 p.m. Hawthorne said the helicopter landed in the Kohl's parking lot to pick up the man. Four cruisers from Plaistow, two from Atkinson and the Plaistow Fire Department responded to the accident.

[OreoGaborio]

Although it's sad that the guy died, I don't feel much sympathy for anyone that steals a motorcycle and fucks themselves up.

[bentbryan]

A perfectly good R6 destroyed?!!

[bump909]

yeah man, i got no sympathy for scum of the earth. i'm just glad he didn't kill anyone besides himself.

[Proulx06]

God damn. Second stolen bike/fatality this week...after this:

MANCHESTER — Randy Hamilton, a 15-year-old West High School student with a knack for making his friends laugh, died yesterday afternoon when his dirt bike collided with a car on Upland Street.

Police last night were not releasing the name of the victim. But friends who came to the crash scene said the dead youth was Randy Hamilton, who was going into his sophomore year at West High School.


Amanda Wood, left, and April Merritt, 18, react as they arrive at the scene of the fatal accident on Upland Street in Manchester yesterday afternoon. (MARK BOLTON PHOTOS/UNION LEADER)


Manchester police officer Paul Fleming and assistant deputy medical examiner Nancy Weston examine the wrecked dirtbike still lodged under the front of the car that collided with it on Upland Street yesterday afternoon.
Police said the youth was pronounced dead at the scene. Witnesses said the boy's distraught father arrived shortly after the crash, and had to be restrained by police from going to his son's body, which was covered in a white sheet a short distance behind the vehicle that struck him.

According to witnesses, Hamilton may have been in a group of teens fleeing a police officer who was trying to stop the boys from illegally riding their dirt bikes on the streets of the neighborhood, which is near the West Side Ice Arena. The officer, Paul Fleming, is popular among the local kids, neighbors said.

The driver of the car that struck Hamilton's motorized bike, Kelly Holmes, 20, of Manchester, was not injured, police said. Police said Holmes was driving south on Upland Street and Hamilton was going north.

But a witness described the scene differently to the Sunday News.

Arsenio Santiago, 15, who lives in the nearby Kimball Street apartment complex, told the Sunday News he was playing basketball with a friend when the dirt bike came out of the woods along Upland Street.

"The kid came out of nowhere and hit the car," he said. "He popped a wheelie when he came out."

Santiago said the car "wasn't going that fast," but the female driver never had a chance to avoid the collision.

Manchester Police Sgt. Peter Bartlett said there was "no pursuit" involved in the crash, which occurred shortly after 1:30 p.m. near the intersection with Mason Street.

"At this point we believe that one of our officers was attempting to contact one of the kids at the intersection of Bremer and Upland Street to advise them they couldn't operate the type of vehicle they were operating on a roadway."

He said Officer Fleming had been trying to stop one of the youngsters about a block south, "and came upon this accident."

Bartlett said it was not clear just where the crash victim was coming from.

Santiago said he never saw a cruiser pursuing the bike. "I only saw the boy coming out of the woods," he said. "He flew over the car."

He said the car, a Saturn sedan, then dragged the motorized bike for a short distance under its front fender before it stopped.

Neighbors said they expected the accident would hit hard with Fleming, known to neighborhood kids as "Officer Paul."

"I know inside he's shook up because he loves kids," said Bob Bouchard, who lives nearby. He said Fleming runs the Police Athletic League program for neighborhood kids.

Bouchard said he spoke to the passenger in the car, known to neighbors as "Chapo," who told him he had tried to help the young victim before he realized how critically he was injured. "The whole inside of his helmet was full of blood," Bouchard said.

Neighbors said the other youngsters riding dirt bikes took off when the crash happened.

The motorized vehicles can only be legally ridden off-road, although neighbors said the area surrounding the West Side Arena is a popular spot for local riders.

As police took measurements and photographs of the crash scene, friends of the victim arrived.

"Oh my God, Randy," sobbed 17-year-old Amanda Wood, her young face twisted in grief.

Friends said Hamilton was the only one of his friends who always wore a helmet when he was riding.

"He's not allowed on a dirt bike without a helmet," said Bonnieta Wood, Amanda's mother.

"Randy's a good kid," she said. "He's a sweetheart."

"He's an awesome kid," said 18-year-old April Merritt. "He's always so funny."

"We've all grown up together," she said.

One of Hamilton's best friends, Michael Bennett, arrived shortly after, and Amanda Wood clutched him as he tried to cross the police tape to get to his friend. "You can't go over there. They won't let you," she told him, crying.

He collapsed to the ground, sobbing, as his friends comforted him.

As the investigation continued, and the youth's sheet-draped body remained where it lay, now behind an orange privacy screen, some of the watchers' grief turned to anger.

Some questioned why the police were after the kids in the first place. Others said Upland Street is dangerous, a narrow, curvy road where trees block the sight lines right where the crash occurred.

Some want speed bumps installed; others say cut down the trees, put up signs warning of the curve, and reduce the speed limit.

And parents said they always warn their children not to play in the street, knowing they likely will anyway. Rosella Lewis, who was outside with her 7-year-old daughter, Alexis, said, "I always tell her, don't ride in the street. It's too dangerous."

But she said, "You can tell them over and over don't play on the street, but there will always be one of them."

"That's a life that ends short," Lewis said, nodding at the crash scene. "School is almost open, and to have a loss like that, it's so sad."

The neighborhood playground, usually busy on a summer Saturday, was empty; instead, young and old watched quietly as the investigators methodically did their work behind yellow police tape.

And as the adults speculated about the cause of the crash, the youngest children quietly talked among themselves about what happened. Michelle Delamota, 12, said the boy on the dirt bike "came out of nowhere."

"I saw one shoe fly," she said.

The children said when the youth's father arrived at the scene, he had to be restrained by police officers from getting near his son's body. "He was going crazy because they wouldn't let him," Michelle said. "He was yelling and saying he wanted to see his son. They were holding him back."

"He was crying," her friend, Alexandra Hernandez, 11, said. "He was saying bad words."

For these youngsters, yesterday's tragedy was a lesson learned too soon and too harshly.

"It's the only time I knew someone died," said 10-year-old Renata Ndahayo.

"I'm never going to walk in the street — not in that street — since that happened," vowed Alexandra Fernandez.

"Yesterday was my birthday," she said softly to no one in particular. And she said a baby had been born in the neighborhood the day before, bringing emergency vehicles to the same street for a happier reason.

Knowing the boy was just a few years older than her seemed to bring the reality of life and death too close. "I never saw a dead body in my face before," she said. "It feels like I'm in it. Like I was a victim. It's scary."

"That can happen to anyone."

-----

The second story came out a day later that the dirt bike was stolen....

-----

Bike in fatal crash was stolen
By SCOTT BROOKS and KATHRYN MARCHOCKI
Union Leader Staff

MANCHESTER — The 15-year-old city boy who died on his dirt bike Saturday was racing from a police cruiser because he had a prior record and feared he would get in trouble, according to the two teens who rode with him that day.

Police, meanwhile, confirmed yesterday that the victim, Randy Hamilton, was riding a stolen bike at the time of the crash.

Hamilton's two companions, including his half-brother, said the boy was panicked and was in the wrong lane when he crashed into a car on Upland Street Saturday afternoon. Hamilton, who would have been a sophomore at West High School this fall, was pronounced dead at the scene. His funeral is today at 11 a.m. at the Phaneuf Funeral Home chapel at 243 Hanover St.

"If we never saw the cop, Randy would still be here," said Kyle Berlinguette, 15, who rode behind Hamilton that afternoon.

Both Berlinguette and Hamilton's half-brother, 16-year-old Brandon Gray, said the police officer was chasing them with his lights flashing and should be held accountable for Hamilton's death.

However, Lt. Richard Valenti of the Manchester Police Department said the officer, Paul Fleming, was simply following one of the boys at a low speed.

"He didn't call in a pursuit," Valenti said.

Police said Fleming wanted to talk to one of the bikers, but not Hamilton.
Riding illegally

As it turned out, Hamilton was driving a stolen 1999 Honda XR80 dirt bike, police said yesterday. The bike was reported stolen Aug. 7 by David Coyle, who told police it was taken from the garage of his 175 Precourt St. home, according to Manchester Police Sgt. Mark S. Fowke.

Police have previously alleged that Hamilton was riding illegally on a public street. The teen did not have a valid driver's license nor had he completed an Off-Highway Recreational Vehicle (OHRV) safety education class, authorities said.

Under state law, a parent or guardian who knowingly or negligently allows a minor to operate an OHRV can be held criminally responsible for any damage or violations incurred by the operator. Valenti would not rule out the chance that charges could be pressed, but noted the investigation is ongoing.

"Until we find out what happened here, we can't say whether we're going to pursue charges," he said.

Gray said he and Hamilton had both been on probation for about the past 3½ years. Their legal troubles started because the boys were skipping school but "ever since then we just kept getting into trouble," he said.

Both teens had spent time at Webster House, a North End home for children unable to live with their families. Hamilton lived there for about a year, until some time last winter, Gray said.

Neither brother wanted to face the consequences if the officer pulled them over, since both were operating their bikes illegally, Gray said.

"If I would have gotten caught, I think they would have taken my license away," he said.
Bikers speed off

Berlinguette said the three boys were riding near the West Side Ice Arena when the officer tried to get their attention, either by honking or activating his siren.

No one spoke as they peeled away, he said. Gray, who was on the fastest bike, said he sped off in a different direction, while Hamilton and Berlinguette stuck together.

Berlinguette said the officer was keeping pace with him at 35 mph. Hamilton was going faster and was beyond Berlinguette's view when he crashed, the teen said.

Lt. Valenti has previously said the officer was following one of the bikers at a speed of 15 to 20 mph. The speed limit on city streets is 30 mph.

Valenti initially said Fleming was following the dirt biker at a low speed without activating his cruiser's blue lights and siren. After reviewing Fleming's report, however, Sgt. Fowke corrected that statement, saying Fleming apparently turned on his blue lights shortly before he came upon the collision.

Both teens said Hamilton was a skilled rider with an intimate knowledge of the road where he died. Hamilton had been riding mopeds since he was 7 or 8 years old, although he was newer to dirt bikes, they said.

All of the boys were regulars on the local trails. Hamilton rode nearly every day, they said.

"That's how much he loved it," Berlinguette said.

One of Hamilton's friends, 11-year-old William "Billy" Michael Looney, died last summer while riding on a motorcycle with his uncle. Hamilton was also friendly with Adam Curtis, a 12-year-old city boy who died in a dirt bike accident in July 2002.

Berlinguette said the latest death has given him pause.

"I'm done biking," he said. "I knew Adam really well and I knew Randy really well. It's just the fact that I've lost two good friends."

Michael Hollis, a friend who often rides with the teens, had an altogether different reaction.

"I'm always going to ride," said Hollis, 17. "When I'm 18, I'm going to get a motorcycle license and a Harley. It's just something we do. It's something we love."

Both teens agreed Hamilton would have wanted them to keep riding.

"I know you'll get back on a bike," Hollis told his friend.

"Maybe," Berlinguette said.
Donations sought

Hamilton came from a family that is struggling financially and unable to afford the costs of a funeral, said Joanne Levesque, office manager at Phaneuf Funeral Homes and Crematorium, which is handling the funeral arrangements.

The funeral home is donating the costs of the funeral and St. Mary Catholic Church donated a burial plot at Mt. Calvary Cemetery, she said. Chalifour's Flowers donated a casket spray and the funeral home is helping to get a headstone donated, she said.

"We know they're hurting," Levesque said of the family.

Donations may be made to the Randy Hamilton Memorial Fund, care of Citizens Bank, 7 McGregor St., Manchester 03102.

[bump909]

Originally posted by legalspeed
The witness said the second man drove off in a black Chevy pickup truck after the bike was stolen.

Stoneman!!!

[Lucky13]

yeah man, i got no sympathy for scum of the earth. i'm just glad he didn't kill anyone besides himself.

+1 on that.

[TheIglu]

The cops fault? Yeah, right.

[Awesome]

Their death is unfortunate, but a consiquence of their own actions, and selfishly they hurt so many others with them. The poor girls driving the cars in both incedents had to sit there and watch a gory death, my heart goes out to them most of all.

[Half Squid]

Very sad they had short lived lives, but they should not have been doing what they did.

RIP

I only wish they lived to at least learn a lesson rather than loosing their lives over a stupid mistake....

[katana0215]

Originally posted by OreoGaborio
Although it's sad that the guy died, I don't feel much sympathy for anyone that steals a motorcycle and fucks themselves up.

I agree, and he put numerous other people in danger as well

[Degsy]

Both scumbags. It is unfair that they died, but they are products of their environment.

Funny how the story on the second kid changes overnight after the scumbag friends and neighbors get a chance to formulate a story blaming the police and looking for compensation.

...and the Plaistow powersports employee who values a 2004 R6 at $9k. Must have been some fucking special R6. Scumbag dealership trying to make a buck out of someone elses death.

...and the woman who turned left in front of the stolen R6. I don't care if he was doing 100mph, she still should have seen him. She will get away with vehicular manslaughter because he was speeding and that is not fair either.

derek

[rg500]

If she made a left in front of the guy, how did he end up hitting the passenger's side of the car?

-Mike Green

[LuckyATB]

Kohls is south of PPS, so if he was heading south from PPS towards Kohls, and she was heading north, she would turn left across the lane to get into the Kohls lot and expose her passenger side to him.

[Degsy]

Originally posted by rg500
If she made a left in front of the guy, how did he end up hitting the passenger's side of the car?

-Mike Green

???

They were travelling in opposite directions, she turned left across his lane and he hit the passenger side of her car. It's the most common motorcycle accident fatality scenario.


derek

[rg500]

I figured that out as soon as I posted this. I had just assumed that they were on the same side of the road. oops

I have a friend that works at Plaistow powersports and the way he described it to me confused me. I really should have thought about it for a minute before I posted.
- Mike

[benVFR]

Originally posted by Degsy

...and the woman who turned left in front of the stolen R6. I don't care if he was doing 100mph, she still should have seen him. She will get away with vehicular manslaughter because he was speeding and that is not fair either.

derek

Sorry it sounds like he was doing something like 3x the speed limit.

It's too hard for a driver to judge a motorcycle's distance when it's travelling far far over the speed limit. This has been stated over and over by MSF, police, etc.. somehow I don't think she deserves to be charged.

Speed may not kill but speed in a stupid place does.

Hell look how bad everyone panics when a fire truck comes blasting through a 30mph zone at 60-70mph, even with the sirens & lights it happens very fast and people have to react quickly to get out of the way. I bike doing 100mph not making much noise until it gets close and not having any flashing lights, etc.. is going to be really hard to see and avoid.

[bump909]

Originally posted by Degsy
...and the woman who turned left in front of the stolen R6. I don't care if he was doing 100mph, she still should have seen him. She will get away with vehicular manslaughter because he was speeding and that is not fair either.

derek

i'm sorry, but that statement is just rediculous.

[TheIglu]

Originally posted by bump909
i'm sorry, but that statement is just rediculous.

[ChrisNoF4i]

Originally posted by Proulx06
Valenti initially said Fleming was following the dirt biker at a low speed without activating his cruiser's blue lights and siren. After reviewing Fleming's report, however, Sgt. Fowke corrected that statement, saying Fleming apparently turned on his blue lights shortly before he came upon the collision.

Why do the police have to lie? It seems to me that "Officer Paul" was just doing his job. It's a sad state of affairs.

[hooligan]

seeing as the first guy was estimated at traveling roughly 150ft/sec. in that particular area she may have never seen him until it was too late.

that particular area is a heavily traveled, shopping area. The speed limit is 35 mph, and that intersection is one of, if not the most dangerous intersection in plaistow. and he had to go through 3 previous sets of lights before that one.

[SEVENSGT]

first, does the intersection in the first story where the dumb broad was turning have a green arrow? If so then she is totally not at fault, sad but true.(my crash was at an intersection that didn't have a green arrow, I was traveling at the limit and got hit by someone talking a left to beat the red he was going to get, so don't give me the you don't know shit)





Second, I love when someone dies and all thier friends are like 'they were the greatest person in the world, wouldn't hurt a fly, loved everyone!' then the truth comes out they were a gangbanging drug dealing wife beatingthieving piece of shit. Just makes me laugh. (and yesI had a close friend die when his car hit a telepole at 110 after he was drinking. So again don't tell me I don't know shit, he was a cocksucker that was cheating on his fiance while she was at work, just too bad the chick wasn't in the car with him when he bit it. It was all tears and sob stories at the wake while I wanted to puke. He was a friend but he wasn't a good person, there really is a differeance)

[Proulx06]

Just in case this thread gets a little heated, let's remember that none of us were at the wrecks, so nobody knows for sure who was at fault. If the kid on the R6 is going 120 in a 30 and a car pulls out, I'd have a tough time blaming the cager.

And just remember SEVENSGT, scumbags are people too. Useless people, but people nonetheless. But I agree with you...

[bentbryan]

What a bunch of insensitive fucks you ALL are!!!!!

A poor ol innocent R6 is destroyed and not ONE of you mentions it. Do you even care?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


oh the horror!!!!!!

[hooligan]

there is a green arrow for a short time, after that you are turning on a double green at your own discretion. so its tuff to say whether or not she had the green arrow and he blew the red. more likely, they both had the green, she turned into his path of travel.

whether or not its her fault or his, i can only guess. i wasnt there. all im saying is its a dangerous intersection to be blowing through there at 35, let alone a high rate of speed. people constantley get hit tring to scoot across the 2 lanes of moving traffic to get into that plaza. he may have had the right of way, but it does him little good now.

the ironic part is, is that given the status of the local PD, if he wouldve driven away normal, he probably wouldnt have gotten caught.