One man died in a single-motorcycle crash in Lyndeborough on Friday, while another man lost his life in a collision between his bike and an SUV on Ball Hill Road in Milford, in which his female passenger also suffered injuries.

The first accident involved a 71-year-old Milford resident, David Doyle, who lost control of his 2009 Harley-Davidson FLHTCUTG motorcycle on Center Road, Nashua Telegraph reports.

His motorcycle rolled over twice causing fatal injuries to Doyle, who was not wearing a helmet, police said. He died following the Friday night crash.

Police could not say if alcohol was a factor in the accident. The road itself could have caused it. Center Road is long and curvy making it a popular scenic route for motorcyclists.

The second fatal motorcycle accident happened on Sunday when a 2004 Yamaha motorcycle collided with a 2004 Honda CRV on Ball Hill Rd. Richard B. Clark, 42, of Lyndeborough died in the accident while his passenger, a 36-year-old Massachusetts woman, Kimberly L. Lambert, of Pepperell suffered serious though non-life-threatening injury.

The causes of both accidents are not yet clear.

We sincerely sympathise with the families of David Doyle and Richard Clark for their loss.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 5,290 motorcyclists were killed in 2008—an increase of 2 % compared to the 5,174 motorcyclists killed in 2007. About 96,000 motorcyclists suffered injuries in crashes during 2008.

According to the report, 41 bikers died in Massachusetts crashes, even though 97% of them were wearing helmets. By comparison, in New Hampshire, only 29 motorcyclists were killed in crashes in 2008 with only 38% of them wearing helmets at the time of the crash.

Still, the NHTSA estimates that helmets saved 1,829 motorcyclists’ lives in 2008, and that 823 more could have been saved if all motorcyclists had worn helmets.

To find out more, please click here. To see the full report, click here.

Two other bikers were injured in a separate incident the night before, while a Pawtucket biker was killed in Scituate accident (on the same Friday night).

The Pawtucket motorcyclist, Dana R. Zeiner, 51, was killed in a head-on collision with a pickup truck on Tunk Hill Road in Scituate, RI, near Gainer Dam.

According to police, Zeiner crossed the double yellow lines of the road and went into the westbound lane, crashing into the truck. Zeiner was pronounced dead at the scene. The truck driver was uninjured.

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The other motorcycle accident happened a couple of hours later in Middleboro. The two motorcyclist who were injured in the other Friday crash were a stepfather and stepson travelling on their Harley Davidson motorcycles on Old Center Street.

The crash occurred when they came upon a fallen tree, blocking both lanes of the street.  The Harley riders tried to avoid crashing into the tree by laying down their bikes, but the stepfather hit the tree anyway. The stepson crashed, too, while trying to avoid hitting his stepfather.

Both men suffered injuries. The stepfather, Tracy Moquin, 41, was airlifted by a medical helicopter to Rhode Island Hospital in Providence, while his stepson, Joshua Kagiwada, 22, was taken by ambulance to an undisclosed hospital. 

We wish them both a speedy recovery. To the family of Dana Zeiner, we send our deepest condolences and sympathies.

According to NH police the number of motorcycle riders killed in crashes has tripled compared to the fatalities at the same point in 2009.  So far, 16 motorcyclists have died in NH accidents this year compared to 5 at the same point last year. About 27 people have died in motorcycle crashes in New Hapmshire over the last five years.

One reason for the rise in motorcycle fatalities this year could be the good weather. If you were around last summer you would remember that we barely saw any sun from May till September. It rained almost every day. 

This summer is completely different. Sure, we did get the occasional shower, but most days have been sunny and warm. No wonder people want to get out on weekends and do stuff.

Since more riders and motorists go out to enjoy the good weather, the chance of encountering inexperienced riders and drivers is greater, as so are the opportunities for an accident.

Just like NH police officials say, alcohol and speed appear to be factors as well.

How do we stop the increase in motorcycle related deaths?

Besides wearing protective gear and motorcycle helmets, bikers should also take safety courses. NH police say 12 of the 16 riders who died in crashes this year had not taken a motorcycle safety course. See the connection?

Staying sober and alert on the road is also one of the most important factors in saving a motorcyclist’s life. While some accidents cannot be avoided, some certainly can by simply following your common sense.

News Sources: Boston Herald, Union Leader.

News reports covering this accident said that David J. Haas, 62, of Keene, NH, was driving his Harley on Concord Street in Spofford, NH, when he swerved the motorcycle to evade a collision with a car backing out of a driveway. He went off the road and down a short embankment, with his Harley-Davidson landing on top of him.

Haas was flown by helicopter to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, Massachusetts for treatment of his injuries sustained in the Sunday crash.

Police said Haas was airlifted to the hospital for “precautionary” reasons, since the full extent of his injuries was not known at that point. According to police officials, “there was a chance of some paralysis.” It was confirmed from the hospital that Haas was still in the intensive care unit on Monday afternoon.

As fellow Harley-Davidson enthusiasts, professional personal injury attorneys, and fellow human beings, we sincerely wish David Haas a full and speedy recovery from his injuries.

Sinead M. Lovett, 29, of Braintree, was riding on the back of a 2003 Harley Davidson motorcycle driven by her boyfriend, Richard Migliacci, 37, of Somerville. Police said he crashed it into a curb on Route 28 South (police are still investigating the cause).

Both Lovett and Migliacci were transported to Massachusetts General Hospital for treatment, but it was too late for Lovett. She was pronounced dead at MGH. Migliacci suffered brain damage, kidney and bladder failure, a fractured hip and his stomach was torn open, and he underwent surgery the same night. He is expected to make a full recovery.

He is now in a “fair” condition, a Media Relations Officer for MGH said. Migliacci is doing better, but his mother says, “emotionally he’s suffering”. She said, “He had to be sedated when he found out she died,” the Patriot Ledger reported yesterday.

According to his mother, Migliacci told her that he struggled to maneuver around cars and hit a road island. This story is particularly sad since Lovett and Migliacci had been together for a year, and the fatal crash was their first motorcycle trip they had in a while. Both were wearing helmets, but the impact of the crash was too strong for both of them to survive it. At least one life was saved, perhaps thanks to a helmet.

We are deeply saddened by this unfortunate accident. Our hearts and condolences go out to Sinead Lovett’s family and friends, and we sincerely sympathize with Richard Migliacci for his loss.

Local police and rescue crews helped with a number of motorcycle accidents in Rochester, on Route 125 in Milton and on Route 22 in Lebanon, Maine. Fortunately, none of these accidents resulted in fatal outcomes, or in serious injuries.

Although last week was overwhelmingly filled with New England motorcycle accidents ranging from minor to several fatal crashes, the actual bike rally did not see any major accidents.

A motorcyclist wearing all the proper equipment crashed his motorcycle in an attempt to avoid colliding with a car on Carl Broggi Highway in East Lebanon near the intersection with Creamery Hill Road, and suffered only minor injuries. Luckily for the biker, a 57-year-old man from Woodridge, his protective gear (including a motorcycle helmet, and a leather coat and gear) saved him from serious injuries.

A similar crash occurred on Farmington Road in Rochester at the entrance to Little Miss Sophie’s. Another motorcyclist experienced some scraping when he fell to avoid a collision with another vehicle, Fosters.com reported.

Fortunately, none of the motorcyclists leaving Laconia on Sunday suffered fatal crashes, especially since the nice weather lured people out of their homes and increased the traffic on all nearby highways and roads.

As the motorcycle rally season begins, we start seeing and hearing bikes on the streets, even on the occasional rainy New England days. And… as soon as the grumbling roar of motorcycles becomes an unavoidable sound of the season, we start hearing about more and more motorcycle accidents, injuries and even deaths.

Last week, for example, 3 different accidents occurred in 3 neighboring towns in Massachusetts: Rowley, Hamilton and Ipswich. Last week also brought the tragic death of the 20-year-old Stephen C. Cmar, a student at the University of New Hampshire. He suffered fatal injuries after he lost control of his 2001 Suzuki and crossed the center line, slamming into a Honda car near Durham, NH. He was wearing a helmet when the accident occurred, but that still wasn’t enough to protect him. The authorities said that Cmar was taken to Wentworth–Douglass Hospital where he later died.

While the police are still investigating the reasons behind the accident, it’s good to keep a few safety tips in mind when riding your motorcycle. Motorcyclists are some of the most defenseless people on the roads, and the likely victims in car/motorcycle crashes. We have more to lose in the case of a crash, so we should be aware of the dangers, and be quick enough to react to anything the road throws at us.

Safety Tip #1. If you haven’t taken one already take a Motorcycle Safety Foundation course or if you have take a refresher or experienced rider course. Great riding skills are the best defense to accidents and injuries.

Safety Tip #2. Keep your bike in top mechanical condition. If your tires, brakes, lights are not in top working order they may fail you in an emergency and interfere with your ability to avoid a collision.

Safety Tip #3. Lack of impairment…I mean drugs and alcohol…just don’t do it. Drugs and alcohol change the way your brain works. You need you brain to be fully functional when you ride, for your own protection as well as others.

Be safe and enjoy your ride on the warm days ahead!

If you or a loved one has been injured in a motorcycle accident, contact personal injury lawyer and avid biker, Tom Kiley! Or order a FREE copy of Tom Kiley’s motorcycle accident guide, Do Loud Pipes Save Lives.

Years ago, I decided to go skydiving and like many rookie skydivers, I wanted to do some research before taking the leap. I wanted to make sure that when I went skydiving, I did so in the safest manner possible.

The interesting thing I found out about the parachutist community is that they make a very large effort to chronicle parachuting accidents to not only memorialize fallen parachutists but to also educate other parachutists about accidents and safety.

In Skydiving Magazine, the back of the magazine has a section that highlights fatal and non-fatal accidents. These articles also mention the reason for the accidents.

Motorcycling is a much larger sport/recreation than skydiving and the shear volume of motorcycle related accidents makes chronicling them in magazines nearly impossible. Still, lots of information on motorcycle safety is lost since there is not a central location to chronicle them.

For bikers, motorcycle safety is built over time as experience in different traffic, weather, and emergency situations is gained. Unlike parachuting, there are many more conditions that bikers have to consider to stay safe.

Bikers should pay respects to fallen bikers by learning what caused them to lose their lives. In some cases, their mistakes can help bikers recognize ways they can avoid doing the same things. In cases where a motorist caused the accident, bikers can learn how to avoid potentially dangerous situations.

As I continue to read and research motorcycle related topics, I will keep looking for more sites that honor and chronicle our fallen biker brothers and sisters. Their lives and their lessons should not be lost.

Hi, I’m Tom Kiley, and when my buddies and I go riding we always put safety first. Get a free copy of my motorcycle book for some valuable riding tips. And if you or loved one are ever hurt in the Massachusetts area, contact the Kiley Law Group for legal advice from a real motorcycle attorney.