Epsom News : Concord

Epsom teacher hurt in double fatal accident

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:51:00 GMT

A head-on crash has killed a Concord couple that was reportedly active in the fight against AIDS and seriously injured an Epsom school teacher.

Police say a pickup truck traveling southbound on Route 3A crossed the center line near Hidden Ranch Drive and slammed into a sport utility vehicle on Wednesday, Nov. 11, at about 12:15 p.m.

The truck driver and his wife, Sherman Ordway, 64, and Bridget Ordway, 50, of Concord, were both killed. The SUV driver was identified as Cynthia Damelio, 50, of Concord, who teaches third grade at the Epsom Central School. Damelio’s dog was rescued from her vehicle by firefighters.

Police say Sherman Ordway likely suffered a medical episode during the accident.

A doctor was traveling in the vehicle behind the Ordways and told police Ordway slumped over the wheel before his car veered into oncoming traffic.

Patrick Connors, principal of the Epsom Central School, says Damelio has taught at the school for more than 20 years. A retired teacher is teaching Damelio’s class until she returns to work, which could take months.

“She’s strong-willed and she’ll pull through,” Connors said. “It’s just going to take time.”

Connors says Damelio’s students were told about the crash before a letter was sent home. He said guidance councilors are available to answer any questions students might have.

The Ordways were active in volunteer groups to help people infected with AIDS, according to a published report.

Three stabbed at party in Epsom

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 17:55:00 GMT

BY LAUREN SAUSSER

An Epsom party that reportedly became “out of control” ended with the stabbings of three people, all of whom were brought to hospitals in Concord.

One teenage victim from Epsom remained in critical condition on March 30 in the Concord Hospital after sustaining multiple stab wounds from an Allenstown assailant at about 2:45 a.m. on Saturday, March 28.

Merrimack County Attorney Katherine Rogers confirmed that Mitchell Rideout, 18, of Allenstown, was arraigned in Concord District Court on Monday, March 30, and has been charged with one count of first degree assault and one count of illegal possession of alcohol.

Rogers said Rideout is being held on $1 million bail at the Merrimack County jail. A probable cause hearing is scheduled for April 6 at Concord District Court. If probable cause of the attack is established, the case will be transferred to Merrimack County Superior Court.

Rideout’s victim, whose identity has not been released by authorities because of the ongoing investigation, reportedly sustained multiple stab wounds and remains on the critically injured list at the hospital, where she was taken after the attack.

Rogers refused comment on the nature of the teenager’s wounds or the specific locations of the entry points.

Two other victims who also sustained stab wounds were transported to the Concord hospital on Saturday morning; one of those victims was later transferred to Dartmouth Hitchcock hospital in Concord. The identities of those two victims remain confidential, too. More information is expected to be released as investigators continue to unravel the case.

All three victims were reportedly close in age to Rideout – in their late teens or early 20s.

As of March 30, Rideout had not been charged with multiple counts of assault but Rogers confirmed that more charges could be forthcoming. She said it is still unclear whether Rideout was the only assailant. It is possible there was more than one attacker involved, she added.

Epsom police continue to investigate the incident but exact details of the circumstances remain unclear. Police Chief Wayne Preve reported that the attacks occurred at a party at 199 Mountain Road that “got out of control.”

Rogers reported that police determined Rideout had been illegally consuming alcohol at the time of the attacks.

Epsom man dies in crash

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 18:51:00 GMT

BY JENN McDOWELL

A motorcycle accident involving an alleged drunk driver ended in the death of a well-liked Epsom man and New Hampshire Department of Transportation design head.

Michael Fudala, 56, chief of final eesign for the DOT’s Bureau of Highway Design, died as he drove his motorcycle down Route 106 in Concord.

“I’m going to miss his very quiet, subtle sense of humor, his selflessness and his strength of character,” said his wife of 34 years, Karin Fudala.

Fudala also leaves behind three grown sons: Matthew Fudala, Jonathan Fudala and Nicholas Fudala.

The other driver, Thomas McCallister, 51, of Concord, was charged initially with aggravated driving while intoxicated. Other charges are likely forthcoming, according to Concord police Detective John Thomas.

“I’m not giving out the details on how it happened,” said Thomas. “I don’t want to taint anybody who actually witnessed it.”

The accident occurred on Thursday, June 19, at around 8 p.m., on Route 106 near the Makris Lobster Pool restaurant. Fudala and McCallister, both on motorcycles, were apparently the only ones involved in the accident, said Thomas.

Fudala suffered extensive injuries and was taken first to Concord Hospital and then to Dartmouth Medical Center in Lebanon, where he was pronounced dead later that evening.

The Concord Police Department’s accident reconstruction team is currently investigating the cause of the accident, Thomas said.

Thomas added that as the department continues to gather facts, several witnesses have come forward to offer information.

Karin Fudala described her husband as a “Renaissance man,” to whom no project was too big or too complex – from landscaping, to building stone walls, to home improvements to vehicle repairs. He also enjoyed building furniture, tying flies and mentoring his three sons. “He also cherished spending time in the Great North Woods, and being outdoors anywhere,” Karin Fudala said.

She added her husband took pride in maintaining the state’s road system while keeping to the state’s natural character and had a great concern for conservation. Administrator of the Highway Design Bureau Craig Green, whom Fudala worked under at the department, said Fudala worked for the DOT for 34 years.

“He was a dedicated employee who touched all of our lives in one way or another. He seemed to have a passion for everything he was involved in,” said Green. “It was a shock to all of us who worked with him,” said Peter Stamnus of the DOT’s Highway Design Department, currently the project manager for the I-93 improvements. “Everybody respected the work that he did, and he was committed to completing his duty,” Stamnus said.

Stamnus, who has known Fudala for about 22 years, worked on several bridge renovation projects with Fudala over the years including the Holderness- Plymouth Bridge on Route 175 and the Spaulding Turnpike Scammel Bridge repairs.

Green said Fudala was heavily involved with the highway resurfacing projects going on throughout the state.

“Obviously, we have a big gap in our bureau. Everyone’s doing the best they can to try to work through this whole thing,” Green said.

Karin Fudala said she and her husband moved to Epsom 10 years ago, having lived in Pembroke previously for about 20 years and before that in Hooksett for two years.

She added Fudala had three beloved motorcycles. The one he was driving, a 1958 Harley- Davidson pan head, he’d owned since about 1975 and had kept in prime condition.

He also enjoyed working on and driving his award-winning 1996 limited edition Corvette. Karin Fudala added she wants to hear McCallister’s side of the story on how the accident happened.

She added she and her family are grateful for the way first responders, doctors and other emergency personnel handled her husband’s serious injuries. “We are very impressed and thankful for the care that he received from the scene, to Concord, through DHART (Dartmouth- Hitchcock Advanced Response Team) to Hanover,” she said, and added donations of either money or blood should be made to the Red Cross in his name instead of sending flowers.

“They went through a lot of blood for him,” she said. “I guess the other thing people could do is enjoy some time walking out in the woods, and if they spot a deer or a partridge, or catch a good fish, or if their riding their bike into the wind ... say, ‘Here’s to you, Mike,’” she said.

Memorial services will be held at McHugh Funeral Home at 283 Hanover St. in Manchester on Tuesday, July 8, from 4 to 8 p.m.

Donations may be made to the American Red Cross, New Hampshire Chapter, 1800 Elm St., Manchester, NH 03104; or to DHART c/o Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, 1 Medical Center Drive, Lebanon, NH 03756.

Larsen supports flood study

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 18:56:00 GMT

Senate President Sylvia Larsen, D-Concord, sent a letter supporting a comprehensive federal study of the Suncook River floodplain due to problems that developed after the river changed course last year.

The change in the river’s course in Epsom, triggered by the May 2006 flood, has dramatically increased the amount of sediment flowing downstream into Pembroke and Allenstown. According to a preliminary assessment by a hydrogeologist, “(t)he large volume of sediment introduced downstream is expected to decrease channel depth and increase the frequency of overbank flooding,” wrote Chad Wittkop, of the New Hampshire Geological Survey, in June of last year.

Larsen’s constituent Tom Baumeister, who lives about four miles downstream from where the river changed course, said that’s exactly what happened -- the erosion and silt deposits made this year’s floods worse, once again driving him from his home.

Last year, Epsom officials applied for and received a federal grant to study whether to try to restore the river to its old course or accept the new channel. This latest study would go further by looking at the impact on the entire floodplain. Larsen wrote today to urge that the state Department of Environmental Services application be funded.

In her letter to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Larsen asked that U.S. Geological Survey grant money be approved and sufficient to allow a comprehensive study of the Suncook River floodplain.

“The designation of such funding is imperative to the successful efforts of New Hampshire DES and the U.S. Geological Survey to conduct an appropriately expansive study of that riparian region, including an analysis of sediment transport and the development of flood recovery mapping,” she wrote.

“It is my hope that a complete and all-encompassing study will help promote solutions that will prevent further loss of property and promote security for all the residents living along the Suncook River,” Larsen said.

Epsom traffic circle officially renamed

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 30 May 2007 18:34:00 GMT

Gov. John Lynch has signed legislation renaming the Epsom Traffic Circle in honor of Epsom police officer Jeremy Charron and Manchester officer Michael Briggs.

Charron was killed in the line of duty in 1997 during a traffic stop in Epsom. Briggs was killed in October while responding to a call in Manchester. The two men served together as police officers in Epsom. Briggs later joined the Manchester Police Department in 2001. The two were also former Marines.

“After serving in the Marines, each man continued to answer the call of duty by joining the Epsom Police Department. That is where the two men became friends, sharing the common bonds of military and police service. Both showing unwavering dedication to their duty to protect the public’s safety,” Lynch said.

“Naming the traffic circle in honor of these two men does not begin to repay the debt we owe to these two dedicated officers. Nor does it ease the pain of the Charron and Briggs families,” Lynch said. “But what it does is serve as a reminder; a reminder of the service and sacrifice of these two selfless men. They showed courage and dignity time and again while ensuring our safety. For that, we are forever grateful.”

Senate Bill 83 was sponsored by senators Jack Barnes, Lou D’Allesandro, Betsi DeVries and Ted Gatsas; and representatives Charles Yeaton, Carole Brown, Margaret Porter and Suzanne Beauchesne.

“The thousands of people who travel that traffic circle every day will be reminded of the duty, honor and sacrifice of officers Charron and Briggs,” Lynch said.

Traffic circle, Route 28 to honor Briggs, Charron

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 23 May 2007 21:48:00 GMT

The Epsom traffic circle will be officially named after officers Jeremy Charron and Michael Briggs on Monday, June 4.

Also, the portion of Route 4 that travels through Epsom will be named in memory of the two murdered officers. Currently the portion of Route 28 that runs through Epsom is named in memory of Charron.

The ceremony will begin promptly at 10 a.m. on the grounds of the Epsom traffic circle and conclude by noon. The traffic circle is located at the intersection of Routes 4 and 28.

As a tribute to officers Charron and Briggs for their honor and service to the state of New Hampshire, the State Senate and the House of Representatives unanimously passed Senate Bill 83; the legislation officially naming the traffic circle after these two Epsom heroes.

Officer Charron was killed in the line of duty while serving at the Epsom Police Department in 1997.

Officer Briggs is originally from, and his family continues to reside in, Epsom. He was killed in the line of duty while serving the Manchester Police Department last fall.