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After the Crash: Route 2 Becomes Memorial in Wake of Motorcycle Deaths

Two members of the Disavowed Motorcycle Club begin to walk the memorial stretch on Route 2.
Lois Hurley
Two members of the Disavowed Motorcycle Club begin to walk the memorial stretch on Route 2.

Officials continue to investigate the cause of a crash between a pickup truck and 10 motorcycles Friday evening.  Seven people were killed in the crash in the town of Randolph. Throughout the weekend, the crash site drew those who wanted to pay their respects to the victims.Listen to the radio version of the story here.

By Sunday evening, the debris is clear, but Route 2 is still marred for fifty yards with white scrapes and heavy bands of black rubber that swoop toward the shoulder. Dozens of flags planted in the grass riffle in the wind, marking the space of the accident, which involved members of a motorcycle club for U.S. Marines.

People walk the stretch of Route 2, lined with flags, paying their respects.
Sean Hurley
People walk the stretch of Route 2, lined with flags, paying their respects.

Everyone I talk to has some connection to the tragedy. They ride, they’ve crashed, they served – they knew the riders.  

 

Ronald Trucott from Groveton is on this road almost every day.  As the Viet Nam vet walks the length of the memorial scene, he takes pictures of the flags - though he’s not sure why.

 

“It's great,” Trucott says, trying to hold back tears. “It's really great. Sorry.  Just so hard to believe. You know, I have friends that I know in Groveton that are Marines and everything you know and they're probably hurting too.”

Viet Nam vet Ronald Trucott of Groveton.
Sean Hurley
Viet Nam vet Ronald Trucott of Groveton.

Most of the cars that pass slow down – and most of the motorcycles pull to the side of the road. The riders dismount and stand, bewildered and unsure.

Steve Marks rode up from Dracut, Mass.  As a senior member of the Disavowed Motorcycle Club, he knew some of the people who died.

“We've spent a lot of time with them at the Haverhill bike night,” Marks says. “We were going to get together this year but...I can't even imagine how this happened. I'm in a state of shock. It just doesn't make sense.”

Disavowed Motorcyle Club member Steve Marks knew some of the deceased.
Sean Hurley
Disavowed Motorcyle Club member Steve Marks knew some of the deceased.

Frank Couture drove up on a Goldwing with his wife from Methuen, Mass. They’ve been driving through New Hampshire all day, all their favorite routes, but this was their destination.

“Came all the way up here just to see this, just to show our respect,” Couture says. “You know I woulda rode for 10 hours if I had to, to come and see this. This is just so sad. You got to show your respect for what happened here. It's sad. There's no need for this. Nobody should have to go through this.”

Frank Couture rode up with his wife from Methuen, Mass to pay his respects.
Sean Hurley
Frank Couture rode up with his wife from Methuen, Mass to pay his respects.

The sky is blue. Mount Washington is close.  A man kneels down beside a makeshift wooden cross that reads “RIP Jarheads.”

Sean Hurley for NHPR

 

Copyright 2019 New Hampshire Public Radio

Sean Hurley lives in Thornton with his wife Lois and his son Sam. An award-winning playwright and radio journalist, his fictional “Atoms, Motion & the Void” podcast has aired nationally on NPR and Sirius & XM Satellite radio. When he isn't writing stories or performing on stage, he likes to run in the White Mountains. He can be reached at shurley@nhpr.org.