Bicycle Casualties

The Central New Hampshire Bicycling Coalition will be tracking and reporting information about people who have been killed or seriously injured by vehicles while riding a bicycle in New Hampshire. This information is gathered to create awareness and craft safety education programs. The tracking of this information was inspired by the tragic death of Rosa Valpey, an eight year old girl who was killed while riding her bicycle in Warner, New Hampshire. 

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Rosa Valpey (Age 8) - April 14, 2011 

Rosa Valpey was killed on April 14, 2011  while riding her bike near the family home in Warner, New Hampshire. The second-grader at Simonds Elementary School was riding across from her driveway when she suddenly cut across the street and was struck by an oncoming vehicle. The community of Warner has embraced the Valpey family, arriving at the family home in a steady stream bringing food, flowers and other items to show their support. A roadside memorial is decked with cards, pictures, flowers and drawings, many of which were created by Rosa's classmates. Citizens of the town have also established a fund at Sugar River Savings Bank to help the family deal with funeral costs.

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Tristin Roy (Age 32) - August 10, 2011

Tristin Roy died shoftly after being hit by a pickup truck on August 10, 2011 while riding her bicycle on Route 10 in Croydon, New Hampshire.  The twenty-five year old driver of the truck had left work twenty minutes earlier in Lebanon, and the driver and passenger of the truck state that they both fell asleep before the crash.  Tristin Roy was a rising manager at Tom Tom, a digital mapping company in Lebanon.  She often rode her bicycle in the area.  She leaves behind her husband and three-year-old daughter. 

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Robert Saturley (Age 64) - June 10, 2011

Robert Saturley died on June 10, 2011 in a bicycle accident, doing what he loved.  The accident occurrred after a car driven by an 88-year-old Bedford man hit him in Newbury, New Hampshire on Route 103.  Robert Saturley suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.  At the time of the accident, Robert Saturley was biking with Michael Feeney, who was also hit and suffered tramautic injuries.  Robert Saturley was a resident of Sunapee.  He served in the National Guard, and had also been a Tuck Scholar at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.  He was an avid cyclist, skier and participated in mini-triathlons. 

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Michael Feeney - June 10, 2011

Michael Feeney, a New Hampshire probate court judge for Sullivan County, was seriously injured while biking in Newbury, New Hampshire on Route 103.  The accident occurred after a car driven by an 88-year-old Bedford man hit him.  Michael Feeney was airlifted to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center with life-threatening injures.  He was subsequently transferred to Spaulding Rehabilitation Clinic for treatment for his head, chest and back injuries, and was able to return home in late August 2011, approximately two months after the accident.  At the time of the accident, Michael Feeney was biking with Robert Saturley, who suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.   

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Matthew Laughton (Age 17) - October 22, 2009

Mathew Laughton was struck and killed on October 22, 2009 while riding his bicycle on Bay Road in Farmington.  A community vigil was held on October 23, 2009 to mourn the loss of the Farmington High School student.  Those who attended the vigil said Matthew touched everyone in the community, from his peers to the teachers, some of whom knew him since elementary school.  The driver was in a Ford 350 van, and ultimately entered a plea to reckless operation and showing an altered inspection sticker. The driver was fined $930. The police initially charged the driver with DWI and vehicular assault, but there was no evidence to present relative to the impaired driving charge. The Straffford County Attorney's Office also presented a negligent homicide charge to a grand jury, but the panel did not issue an indictment.

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Susanne Kibler-Hacker - October 15, 2009

Susanne Kibler-Hacker of Dunbarton, New Hampshire suffered life threatening injuries when she was hit from behind on October 15, 2009 while biking east on Clinton Street during her commute to work. Susanne Kibler-Hacker, the vice president of development at the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, serves as that office's coordinator for the state's bike-to-work days and was wearing fluorescent clothing and a helmet when she was hit.  The collision happened on the section of Clinton Street west of Silk Farm Road, where the shoulders are narrow and the speed limit is 45 mph.  A neighbor who lives on that stretch of road estimated Kibler-Hacker had been thrown 20 feet from her bike.  The driver received two charges - one for failing to execute due care and another for failing to execute due care when approaching a bicyclist.