Candia police say a local man died in a July 6 motorcycle accident after colliding with a granite mailbox post.

Officials said on Tuesday, July 8, that Dennis Hoyt, 39, of Merrill Road, was not wearing a helmet as he drove his Harley Davidson motorcycle north on his home street at around 4 p.m. on Sunday. Police said Hoyt apparently lost control of his motorcycle as he rounded a corner, and struck the mailbox post near a home in the vicinity of 173 Merrill Road.

Police said officer Rick Langlois was the first emergency responder at the scene, and he tried to help the man, as did two other people, both nurses, who were in the area at the time. But officials said Hoyt suffered severe trauma in the accident, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

The accident was still being investigated as of July 8, and police said they are still determining all the factors involved in the accident. Merrill Road, like many other local roads in Candia, is a winding road with many curves, and the posted speed limit is 35 mph.

Road Agent Dennis Lewis said on July 7 that there have been no issues in the past with that particular stretch of road or the granite post, and police said no citations had been issued as of July 8.