In a few words, on Monday, Aug 2, a group of four motorcyclists after paying a visit to the Trailside Steak and Seafood Restaurant were travelling on Route 302 in Maine. One of the bikers, a Quincy man stood up on his 2004 Harley-Davidson Night Train motorcycle and started waving with one hand, while holding the bike’s handlebar with the other hand, going at 55 mph.

He then lost control and fell, sustaining fatal injuries. The victim, Justin Dilks, 34, landed in the middle of the road.

Hi friend and fellow biker, Marjorie Loonie, 45, of Melrose trying to avoid crashing into him, swerved and lost control of her own 2006 Harley-Davidson motorcycle and also crashed. Loonie suffered serious injury and was airlifted to Central Maine Medical Center where she is listed in a stable condition.

Neither Dilks, nor Loonie, nor any of the other bikers in the group were wearing helmets, which could have perhaps save them from head injury and trauma. Dilks was pronounced dead at the scene from severe head injuries, police said.

According to the police, the trick riding led to the fatal crash. Trick riding is dangerous and usually rare. We are sorry that a fellow motorcyclist got killed while engaging in this behavior, and that his friend got injured. It serves as a valuable and obvious lesson to other riders not to rush to do something which may put them and other people in the path of injury and death.

Many factors lead to the death of Justin Dilks and the injury of Marjorie Loonie, but we can narrow them down to the most obvious three:

1. None were wearing helmets.

Motorcycle helmets are essential safety gear which should we worn at all times. It saves bikers from severe head trauma and brain injury, and some models even prevent facial injuries. Even though helmet use is not required in every state, bikers’ common sense should tell me to put one on before hitting the road.

2. Dilks was riding while standing on his bike.

Even if he was doing it in on a parked motorcycle, instead of going at 55 mph, it just seems as a very irresponsible behavior – an accident waiting to happen. And it did. The sad part is that it ended terribly, both for Dilks and Loonie.

3. The stretch of US Route 302 where the crash occurred is known as a busy and a frequent crash site, so the motorcyclists should have been extra careful when travelling on it.

If you are riding on notorious, or unfamiliar roads, always stay alert and focused, epsecially at night.

Justin Dilks is remembered by friends as a kind man who lived life to the fullest, and his loss is felt by many. He was on vacation at the Keoka Beach Campground in Waterford, just north of Bridgton, police said.

News Sources: Patriot Ledger, KJ Online.

Police said the woman, Terrill Bettano, 56, of Winthrop, Massachusetts, sustained a wrist injury and was sent to the hospital.

According to the authorities, a vehicle (a dark sedan) crossed over the center line on Weirs Blvd and forced Bettano’s motorcycle off the road, which then crashed into the top of the propane tank. The crash caused a small propane leak, but it was soon brought under control by Laconia firefighters and a local gas company.

The driver’s identity is yet to be determined. He fled the scene after the crash.

Laconia Police Department is asking any witnesses to the accident to call this number:

(603) 524-5252.

News Source: WMUR.

As some of you may have heard by now, Aerosmith lead guitarist, Joe Perry, 59, was involved in a Middleborough, Massachusetts motorcycle crash last Thursday, July 15.

The Associated Press reported that Perry was riding his motorcycle, a 2009 Ducati Monster 696 when he was rear-ended by a car last Thursday afternoon in Middleborough. The driver of the car, a sedan, Linda O’Brien, 62,  reportedly rear-ended Perry on Route 44 East (also known as Plympton Street).

Luckily, both the sedan and Perry’s motorcycle were traveling at a low speeds at the time of the accident.

Perry was injured in the crash, though the nature of his injuries in not certain. It is only known that he was not seriously injured. Emergency medical services that arrived at the scene transported Perry to the Morton Hospital and Medical Center in Taunton, Massachusetts, where was treated and released within a couple of hours following the accident.

O’Brien was not hurt, as is usually the case with car drivers involved in collisions with motorcycles. She was issued a citation by police for following too closely.

Aerosmith’s scheduled concerts dates will not be affected by Perry’s accident, reports say.

News Sources: Rolling Stone Magazine, AP, PopEater.

Police said the crash occurred as they were riding on their motorcycle west on Washington Street and passed a car that was turning left onto Summer Street.

Douglas Lima, who was driving the bike accelerated – there were  rubber patch marks on the road – while the car, a Nissan Maxima turned out onto Washington Street from Oak Street.

Moments before the crash Douglas Lima laid the bike down before slamming into the side of the Maxima, Metro West Daily News reported.

Douglas and Simora Lima were flown by two medical helicopters to the trauma center at Boston Medical Center. According to a hospital spokesman, Simora Lima is in the Intensive Care Unit and her husband is in a rehabilitation wing.

We send them our wishes for a speedy and full recovery.

The officials identified the victim as the 56-year-old Michael Bator, while his friends and relatives remember him as an all around good guy who would literally take the shirt off his back for a friend, the local newspaper, Taunton Gazette, reported.

Medics at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, NH, pronounced Bator dead upon arrival last Thursday. The crash had occurred on Route 175 in Campton after Bator’s motorcycle crossed the center line of the road and struck the left front corner of the oncoming pickup truck. Route 175 is notorious among the local motorcyclists for its twists, turns and change in elevation.

The truck driver was not injured in the crash, and there have been no charges so far.

One of Bator’s friends, Teddy Benson, said that he, Bator and a small group of Harley-Davidson enthusiasts from Taunton had been making an annual pilgrimage to Laconia, NH, the newspaper reported. Thousands of motorcycle fans have been flocking to Laconia for years for the annual motorcycle event near Lake Winnipesaukee.   

Officials and Bator’s friends confirm that Bator was not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident, but Benson said that a helmet wouldn’t have helped as Bator died from massive chest trauma and a badly damaged leg.

Bator is survived by his 93-year-old mother Jean, two daughters, Stephanie, 25, of Taunton, Alyssa, 30, of Vermont and two grandsons.

“He was loved by everybody,” Bator’s sister said. “He would do anything for a friend.”

On one hand,  the Laconia Motorcycle Week is under way and so far things are running smoothly near Weirs Beach, but on the other, so many accidents are happening almost every week this summer.

In the case of the PA crash, the motorcyclist was killed in a pick-up truck collision. He was travelling on his Harley-Davidson motorcycle, leading a group of several friends, also on motorcycles and in a car, when he was struck by a Dodge Dakota pick-up truck, driven by a senior driver from Connecticut. The biker was killed in the crash, while the pick-up truck driver walked away only with minor injuries.

The CT accident occurred between a 2001 Yamaha motorcycle and a Honda, in which the motorcyclist was thrown off his motorcycle after crashing with the back of the car. He was wearing his helmet, but the crash was too severe.

In the case of the three motorcyclists who got injured in two separate accidents, one in Londonderry NH, the other in Pembroke, NH, which occurred in two consecutive days, two bikers crashed with each other at an intersection, while the other motorcyclist suffered serious injuries when his bike crashed as it was negotiating a curve.

The bikers who crashed into each other in Londonderry were not wearing helmets, which is not illegal in New Hampshire, but it’s always reccomended. Perhaps they might have saved them some pain from injuries.

In any case, these unfortunate accidents only further remind us of the hightened danger of collision this season. We all need to be more attentive to the other motorists and motorcyclists on the road, as well as wear protective gear.

We hope this week will end without any more news of motorcycle crashes in NH and MA.

There are traps and hazards on every mile, whether it is a city street, interstate highway, or a picturesque country road. And since motorcyclists are especially vulnerable to crashes, inattentiveness can cost you a serious injury, and even death.

Nature can pounce on you in unexpected ways, so it’s good to keep a few things in mind before going on a ride.

- Expect to see wild life on the road.

When you’re riding country roads, especially in New England, be prepared to see some beautiful beast of nature trying to cross lanes seemingly totally oblivious of oncoming traffic. Remember, more than one life can be wasted in a moment of mutual inattentiveness.

Wildlife, especially deer, can cause major car and motorcycle crashes. While smaller animals are easier to avoid, and in the worst-case scenario, easier to run over, deer pose a greater hazard to the lives of unwary motorcyclists and motorists.

- Know your wildlife.

It never hurts to know a little more about nature, but in this case, it’s good to focus on a few facts about deer behavior at different times of day and seasons.

Demure and darling, these gorgeous animals are cautious by nature, yet have been known to suddenly leap on the roads and startle drivers and bikers. Since they like to feed on tree leaves, they can often be seen in forested areas or river beds all across New England. Deer also like fresh grass, so they can even come up to the side of the road to munch on lush roadside grass (kept thick and green due to regular mowing by the highway department).  

Knowing their feeding habits, you shouldn’t be surprised to see deer grazing along the shoulder of the road, especially in shady areas.

Usually, during the daytime, if a deer is feeding it will have its head down - at a casual glance it can easily be mistaken for a log, or a mossy boulder. However, as they are cautious of predators, they prefer to feed at dusk or dawn, unlike their close relatives – the elk, moose and the antelope, who can be seen feeding in plain view at broad daylight.

This means that deer strikes are more likely to occur when there is limited visibility. So, keep your eyes peeled at before sunrise or after sunset.

Another thing to keep in mind is that deer doesn’t reflect much light, except with its eyes, which makes it difficult to tell if the brilliant white spots reflected from your headlight are on a post or on a deer. One way to tell the difference is to see if the reflected light is steady. Deer blinks, road posts do not. So, chances are, if you see a reflected light winking at you, it’s coming from a deer that’s facing you.

It’s also helpful to know that deer are social creatures, so if you see one, chances are there are at least two more nearby. Deer can often move in groups of 3 – these can be does with twins, who stay with their mom for over a year. They can even stay with her while she is busy raising the new set of fawns .

Also, depending on the season, deer can also move in larger groups. They seek higher elevations in the spring, and move down to lower lands in the fall. Often times, their migration routes cross with highways and smaller roads. In areas where that occurs you’ll see Deer Migration signs, which takes me to the next point:

- Respect signs with animals on the road.

For example, Deer Crossing signs were put up there for a reason. If a part of the road has a consistently higher number of deer –related collisions, the highway department will put up a sign to warn drivers and bikers of the danger.

When you see these signs, slow down and pay attention to your surroundings. Reducing the speed would allow you to have time to react. The rest is up to the deer.

Note: If you think you’ll be slowing down the traffic behind you, let them pass first. There is no point in rushing like mad through the night when you are in deer country just because you’re annoyed with tailgaters.

- When you spot a deer, hit the brakes.

Deer react to proximity. Even if your motorcycle is loud, and the deer clearly sees you, you can never count on the deer to leap away from your approaching motorcycle. A deer feeding may simply pop their head up to see what’s going on, and if it judges that you’re not close enough, it can continue feeding without much distress – before it’s too late.

Yes, deer can leap unexpectedly. When you come up to 60 feet from the deer, it can jump in a pretty startling way. Keep in mind: the deer’s first leap is in whatever direction it is facing – even towards you. They first go straight ahead, then jump away in a zigzag pattern.

So – don’t go too fast and be prepared to brake.

Swerving doesn’t help much when you are trying to avoid deer on the road – remember the unpredictable retreating pattern, and the possibility of more than one deer present. Your best shot is to simply brake.

Deer collisions can cause great damage to any vehicle, especially motorcycles. While drivers may walk away from such an accident uninjured, motorcyclists are much more in danger of sustaining serious injuries, and even losing their lives.

The most recent motorcycle/deer crash in New England took away the life of a 20-year-old motorcyclist from Merrimack, NH. The crash occurred in the early morning hours – - – when deer like to feed by the side of the road.

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.

The motorcycle accident took place as Fraser and a friend were riding their motorcycles on Highland Ave and attempting to go around a curve when they reportedly lost control of their bikes, according to reports on WHDH Channel 7 News in Boston. The second biker died at the scene of the accident. Police are still investigating the motorcycle crash and are unsure what caused the motorcycle accident to occur.

Eric Fraser has already been in the media spotlight this year. Fraser’s ex-wife, Kristin Labrie is facing up to 40 in prison for attempted murder in connection to the death of Fraser’s son, Jeremy Fraser, after Labrie allegedly withheld the 9-year-old’s cancer treatments. Jeremy Fisher died in March of this year.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Fraser family as well as the family of the second biker who died in the motorcycle accident.

If your loved one has been seriously injured or killed in a motorcycle accident, you may need to contact an attorney. Tom Kiley, a motorcycle enthusiast and personal injury lawyer in Massachusetts can help. You can reach attorney Tom Kiley at 1-800-930-8145 or by e-mail.

According to reports, the motorcyclist was riding south on Route 5 when the biker struck a guardrail on the off-ramp. Although the biker was wearing a helmet at the time of the motorcycle crash, police believe he died due to severe head injuries.

The motorcycle accident is still under investigation.

If your loved one has been seriously injured or killed in a motorcycle accident, you may need to contact an attorney. Tom Kiley, a motorcycle enthusiast and personal injury lawyer in Massachusetts can help. You can reach attorney Tom Kiley at 1-800-930-8145 or by e-mail.