Salem Observer : Salem, accident

Motorcyclist might be charged after hitting car carrying pregnant woman and baby

Salem Editor — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 19:44:00 GMT

BY DERRICK PERKINS

With her infant in the back seat, Sheenah Deyo was on her way home on Sept. 14 when she was struck by a Derry man on motorcycle going close to 100 miles per hour.

“I turned onto my street to pull over, and I saw the blue lights following him and my baby started screaming and I was screaming. I didn’t really see anything. He hit my car and it seemed like he kept going,” she said. “He hit the back and flew off. He must have not have been looking because he didn’t stop and he didn’t even slow down. I just didn’t even want to look at the motorcycle (afterward).”

According to authorities, 19-year-old Timothy Everett of Derry lost control of his motorcycle near 69 N. Policy St. after officers spotted him traveling down nearby Pelham Road at a high rate of speed at about 4:40 p.m. Authorities said Everett noticed an officer on a motorcycle turning around to follow him when he allegedly accelerated to elude police. By the time officers caught up with him, Everett had clipped the rear-end of Deyo’s vehicle as she turned onto Brookdale Road, struck a nearby curb and crashed, receiving life-threatening injuries in the process.

Eight months pregnant, Deyo said she was having contractions when authorities had her transported to the Holy Family Hospital in Methuen, Mass., where doctors made sure her unborn child had not been injured in the collision.

“They just checked me up. They didn’t have room for me, they just told me to see my OB/ GYN. Because I’m pregnant they couldn’t X-ray me and couldn’t give me anything for the pain. The only thing they could do is make sure the baby is OK. My two main concerns were my 1-year-old in the back seat and the baby, obviously,” she said.

Still, Deyo said she was unable to sleep at night due to the pain and has been left shaken up by the accident.

“I feel like a baseball bat hit me across the head. I hope (Everett) is OK,” she said.

Everett was later transported by helicopter to Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston where he is listed as in good condition, according to authorities.

Officers at the scene said Everett suffered a laceration to his arm and lost some blood. He was wearing a helmet at the time of the collision, police said. Witnesses told authorities that Everett had been traveling at excessive speeds and driving on the wrong side of the road before he lost control of his motorcycle. Though the investigation remains ongoing, charges may be pending, police said.

At this time, authorities are not considering the incident a police chase.

Marine laid to rest

Salem Editor — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 18:36:00 GMT

BY DERRICK PERKINS

A little more than a week after Marine Cpl. Edmund Vandecasteele IV died in an automobile crash on the other side of the country, his body was laid to rest in the veteran’s section of Pine Grove Cemetery.

Family, friends and fellow Marines gathered at St. Matthew Church in nearby Windham on the morning of Aug. 10 to pay their final respects to a young man remembered by those who knew him as cheerful, hardworking and dedicated to the Marine Corps. Local and state officials, including the police chiefs from both communities as well as Gov. John Lynch, were also in attendance at the service.

Vandecasteele, 22, a native of Salem, was killed on Aug. 1 after the 2003 Ford Mustang he was riding in struck a tree in San Clemente, Calif., around 2:15 a.m. The accident occurred roughly 4 miles away from Camp Pendleton, where Vandecasteele had been stationed as an ammunition technician with the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division since April. Prior to his death, Vandecasteele had spent two years serving at Okinawa.

A 2006 graduate of Salem High School, Vandecasteele enlisted before his 18th birthday, fulfilling a nearly lifelong dream of becoming a Marine, according to his mother, Lisa Desroisers. An active swimmer who enjoyed the challenge of serving in the Marine Corps, Desroisers said Vandecasteele had looked forward to joining the reconnaissance battalion.

Vandecasteele is not the first actively serving Marine from Salem killed in recent years. On May 1, 2006, Marine Lance Cpl. Robert Moscillo, 21, died in Al Anbar when a land mine exploded underneath his Humvee. In an interview several days after learning of her son’s passing, Desroisers said that at the time, she had wondered if Moscillo’s death would change her son’s plans to enlist in the Marine Corps.

“It didn’t,” she said. “He attended the wake and stood on the side of the street as the funeral procession went by to honor him ... It was an honor to have him as my son.”

Vandecasteele’s body was escorted through Windham and into Salem – where many flags were flown at half-staff for the second time this summer – by local police officers and members of the Patriot Guard, a nationwide grassroots organization of motorcycle riders that offers support to military families at their request.

Ride Capt. Tom Kearney said his band of riders came together over the weekend to pay their respects to Vandecasteele’s memory. He described the turnout of Patriot Guard riders from across the state and New England as “outstanding” for such short notice.

“He deserves the same respect as a soldier who was killed in action and we want to give that to him,” Kearney said. “He volunteered for the marines and all we’re doing is riding motorcycles. Riding a motorcycle is nothing special, but what he did was special.”

Standing beneath a large American flag hung over Route 111 from the extended ladder of a Windham fire truck parked in front of the Searles School and Chapel, Chief Thomas McPherson said the department had turned out to show their support as well, offering Vandecasteele the same honor as a firefighter who has fallen in the line of duty.

“We know his mother lives in Windham and we came out to show our respects for the family,” he said.

Mass. woman killed in I-93 motorcycle crash

Salem Editor — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 18:44:00 GMT

BY DERRICK PERKINS

A motorcycle rollover on the southbound side of I-93 on Monday, June 22, killed a passenger and left the driver hospitalized with serious injuries.

Police said Cathyann Pandolfo, 49, of Uxbridge, Mass., sustained fatal injuries after the 1996 Honda Goldwing motorcycle she was traveling on rolled over and ejected both riders near the Windham weigh station at 10:11 a.m. Pandolfo was pronounced dead on the scene, according to authorities.

The driver, Derek J. Pandolfo, 48, of Uxbridge, Mass., was transported to Parkland Medical Center in Derry with serious injuries by Windham Fire and Rescue before being transferred to the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, according to authorities.

A spokesman at Beth Israel said Pandolfo remained in critical condition as of Monday night.

Public safety officials believe the Pandolfos were husband and wife.

Witnesses told police the motorcycle drifted off to the left side of the highway and onto the gravel portion of the shoulder before rolling over. The accident left traffic backed up from Exit 3 on above for about 7 miles.

State troopers on the scene were directing vehicles through the weigh station and around the crash site in a single lane.

State police received assistance at the scene by the New Hampshire Department of Transportation as well as the Windham Fire Department and EMS.

Though the crash remains under investigation, alcohol and drugs are not believed to been a factor in the rollover, authorities said.

Officials are urging anyone with information regarding the accident to contact Trooper Derek Holston at 672- 3333.

Salem teen dies in crash

Salem Editor — Thu, 07 May 2009 12:40:00 GMT

BY DERRICK PERKINS

The cause of a car crash in nearby Atkinson that left one local teen dead and another hospitalized on May 5 remains under investigation, though state police believe excessive speed contributed to the accident.

Robert C. Stuart, 18, of Salem was pronounced dead on the scene after the 1994 Chevrolet Cavalier he was driving veered off the eastbound shoulder of Island Pond Road and into a tree at 12:03 a.m. According to authorities, Stuart had been heading west before the accident.

A 16-year-old female passenger from Derry was transported to the Lawrence General Hospital in Lawrence, Mass., before being Med-Flighted to the Boston Medical Center.

Neither Stuart nor his passenger were wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash, state police said.

State police were assisted at the scene by Atkinson police and Atkinson Fire Rescue.

Authorities are asking anyone with information regarding the crash to contact State Trooper Tamara Hester at 679- 3333.

Four-year-old girl injured in Salem snowmobile crash

Salem Editor — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 20:58:00 GMT

BY DARRELL HALEN

A Salem man faces several charges after a 4-year-old girl – who was not wearing a helmet – was injured in a snowmobile accident.

Salem police said Robert Frost, 28, was giving the child a ride on a snowmobile during the afternoon of Tuesday, Feb. 10, when she grabbed the throttle and he lost control of the vehicle and hit a tree.

Police officers, who responded to the Hess gas station on Route 28 after being notified of the accident, believe it occurred in the woods behind Millville Lake Dam.

Both Frost and the girl were thrown from the snowmobile. The girl suffered a head injury and was bleeding from several areas. Frost carried her out of the woods and attempted to drive her to a hospital, according to police. When the girl began to “act weird,” Frost pulled over and called for help. Emergency workers from the Salem Fire Department transported her to Holy Family Hospital in Methuen, Mass. Her injuries appeared to be non-life threatening, according to officials.

The snowmobile was in the back yard of Frost’s home when police responded to the accident. The vehicle had front-end damage and only one helmet was near it. Their investigation determined that the girl, the daughter of Frost’s girlfriend, had not been wearing a helmet when the accident occurred, according to police.

The New Hampshire Department of Fish and Game was notified and took over the investigation. According to Salem police Capt. Shawn Patten, Frost was charged with having an unregistered snowmobile, riding on private property without permission and for not having a helmet on the girl.

Salem woman dies in crash

Salem Editor — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 00:09:00 GMT

BY DERRICK PERKINS

A local woman died at the Caritas Holy Family Hospital in Methuen, Mass., on Tuesday, Jan. 27, after an early morning automobile accident left her with life-threatening injuries, according to authorities.

Cynthia Noonan, 47, of Salem, succumbed to her injuries just before being airlifted to the Beth Israel Hospital in Boston after she struck a tree on Butler Street at about 8:05 a.m. She was the sole occupant of the vehicle, police said.

According to police, the exact cause of the accident had not been determined, though they have ruled out drugs or alcohol as a factor in the crash. The accident remains under investigation by the Salem Police Department’s Traffic Accident Reconstruction team.

Salem business owner dies in crash

Salem Editor — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 19:28:00 GMT

BY JENN McDOWELL

A Salem businessman and philanthropist died of serious head injuries he sustained after crashing his motorcycle on Millville Street.

Stephen Devito, 45, of 12 Arlington Pond Court, was not wearing a helmet on Thursday, June 12, at around 12:20 a.m., when his motorcycle went off the road near the intersection with Spring Street, and he struck a fence.

Salem police Capt. Shawn Patten said police believe Devito was heading home from his popular restaurant and night spot, Devito’s on Main Fine Dining and Stevie D’s Sports Grille. Devito was apparently turning onto Millville Street from Main Street.

“He just failed to negotiate the curve and went off the road,” said Patten, adding Devito may have been accelerating through gears when he left the road, something that usually makes it harder to steer a motorcycle.

Devito was still alive when emergency response arrived, and was transported to Holy Family Hospital in Methuen, Mass., according to police. He was later pronounced dead at the hospital.

Speed is believed to be a factor in the accident, but alcohol is not. Toxicology tests will be performed in the next several weeks.

Patten added police had one witness to the accident, whom he said didn’t see very much. Devito moved to Salem 12 years ago, according to neighbors, and quickly became a community favorite when he opened several businesses in town, the most recent being the restaurant and sports bar, which had its grand opening in March.

He frequently donated to the town’s Boys & Girls Club and athletic leagues, neighbors said. Beverly Connell of 24 Arlington Pond Court said she and her husband, Tom, knew and loved Devito dearly, as did everyone in the close-knit neighborhood.

“It’s been so devastating every time I drive by his house,” said Connell, her voice breaking. “He just couldn’t do enough for people.”

Devito was part of Salem’s initiative to revitalize the depot area of the town and turn it into a center of entertainment and commerce. The restaurant was one of the first steps in doing that, with the town planning to refurbish and put to the railroad depot building to new use.

Recently, he bought up all of the property surrounding Stevie D’s with plans to construct a retail center similar to Fanueil Hall in Boston and a condo subdivision.

“He was crucial to the revitalization of the depot,” said Patten.

Those who knew and loved Devito are still trying to understand what happened the night Devito crashed.

Ronald Oldeman of 16 Arlington Pond Court, who lives directly next door to Devito, said the family members he has spoken to seem to be holding up well under the circumstances.

“I don’t understand, personally. After seeing the accident site, it’s hard for me to comprehend how the accident happened,” Oldeman said.

He added Devito always had larger-than-life goals. “He had grand ideas. Everything he did in life was on a large scale, and he looked at things with great imagination,” Oldeman said. “I think he saw great possibilities for the depot, and I believe he just wanted to be a part of that renovation process.”

Connell said her first impressions of Devito when he moved into the neighborhood in 1996 after purchasing LL&S Wastewood Processing on Lowell Road, were that he was a “party-goer” who loved to entertain guests.

“He livened up our neighborhood. He was just a great, giving person. We’re just going to miss him tremendously,” said Connell, who added she and her husband also spent time with Devito in Pompano Beach, Fla. The Connells and Devito both own condos in the area, and Devito would invite the Connells on boating excursions.

Board of Selectmen Chairman Beth Roth, who was on the Planning Board when the site application for Stevie D’s was approved, said the restaurant’s location, ambiance, and Devito’s openness had turned it into a community meeting place.

“There’s no reason to doubt that he was anything other than an outstanding business person. Obviously, he had the interest of the town in mind,” said Roth, who was also working with Devito and others on the depot revitalization.

Connell said the neighborhood is completely devastated at Devito’s death, the third in their neighborhood in the past eight months.

“We’re just trying to get through the stress of losing our great neighbor. We’re just going to miss him tremendously,” she said.

Crash kills Salem man

Salem Editor — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 23:16:00 GMT

BY JIM DEVINE

SALEM – An alleged drunk driver was killed last Monday after a head-on collision on Lake Street ended a series of accidents that police said he caused across town.

Police believe drugs or alcohol may be a contributing factor to the three accidents involving Kenneth Callahan, 41, of 7 Meridian Drive, Salem, shortly before 4:50 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 25.

Though no serious injuries resulted from the first two accidents on South Policy Street and at the intersection of Routes 111 and 28, respectively, the third accident killed Callahan when his late-model Toyota pickup struck another car driven by Steve Ouellet of Raymond head on.

The first accident was first reported to police by Rueben Agosto of Lowell, Mass., when Callahan’s pickup struck his car from behind while traveling north on South Policy Street. Instead of stopping, Callahan left the scene of the accident and continued north, while Agosto followed the pickup truck, calling police dispatch on his cellular phone to provide them with the direction of travel.

“It all happened pretty quickly,” said police Lt. Kristin Fili. “We’re not certain of the entire route taken at this time.”

Minutes later, according to police, Callahan struck another car driven by Brenden Lareau of Hampstead at a five-way intersection of Route 28 and Range Road before continuing down Lake Street.

Police said the pickup truck was traveling erratically while hitting snow banks on both sides of the roadway.

While approaching the intersection of Bluff Street, Callahan’s truck crossed the centerline and struck another car driven by Ouellet, who had his 9-year-old son in the passenger seat.

Ouellet and his son were both transported to Parkland Medical Center with minor injuries, while Callahan suffered critical injuries, police said. Callahan was transported to Holy Family Hospital in Methuen, Mass., where he was later pronounced dead.

Both Agosto and Lareau were not seriously hurt in the prior accidents, police said.

The department’s accident reconstruction team is currently investigating the accident.

Woman faces charge after driving into print shop

Salem Editor — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 18:23:00 GMT

A woman who drove a car into a Salem printing shop has been arrested and faces a charge of vehicular assault.

Kieu Thi Nguyen, 39, drove her Honda into the Sir Speedy store at 382 South Broadway around 10 a.m. on Oct. 16, police said.

“We have ruled out mechanical defects as the cause of the collision,” said Salem Deputy Police Chief Bill Ganley. “I don’t think it was an intentional act. I believe it was operator error.”

A 27-year-old employee suffered serious but non-threatening injuries. She was treated at Holy Family Hospital in Methuen, Mass.

Nguyen, who lives at 89 S. Broadway, in Lawrence, Mass., turned herself in at the Salem Police Station on Oct. 21 after a warrant was issued for her arrest.

She will be arraigned in Salem District Court on Nov. 26.

A store surveillance video showed Nguyen’s car coming into the store without any apparent braking, according to police.

Right place, right time – Kevin Woodbury recovering after brother witnessed rollover, was able to help

Salem Editor — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 18:35:00 GMT

BY MATT HERSH

Ryan Woodbury couldn’t stop screaming as he watched his younger brother’s SUV swerve and then roll over five times on Route 38.

“It all happened so fast,” he said. “I just kept yelling his name and then I got out of my car.”

Ryan, 21, had been traveling back from Pelham when he saw his younger brother Kevin, 19, driving in the opposite direction in his Toyota 4Runner with its KWOO vanity license plate on Thursday, Aug. 2.

In a matter of seconds, he saw Kevin drift near the curb, swerve slightly, and then flip over, throwing him out of the driver’s side window. Ryan instantly sprang into action.

After pulling his car over, he ran toward the Toyota, which was upside down with its hood crushed and windows shattered. Pieces of metal and glass were strewn across the street. Kevin wasn’t in the car.

Ryan kept screaming his brother’s name while frantically looking for him. An off-duty firefighter who stopped to help located Kevin on the side of the road near some vegetation and shouted to Ryan.

Ryan ran over to his brother, who was lying on his side in a patch of poison ivy. He was unresponsive, making gurgling noises and had blood coming from his ears and head.

“I held his hand and told him I was there for him, but I don’t know if he could hear me,” said Ryan, who thought his brother might not survive.

But after he was taken by helicopter to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, doctors found that Kevin had managed to avoid any fatal injuries.

He was placed on life support while the doctors surveyed his injuries. Meanwhile, his family, including father, Bob, and brother Rob, stayed by his side, praying for his life.

Kevin suffered a fractured clavicle, fractured ribs, eardrum damage and some head trauma. He may have some hearing loss in one ear and he will have to wear a neck brace for several weeks. Doctors placed a titanium plate in his shoulder to repair his clavicle.

Police officials later told Kevin’s family that if he had been wearing a seat belt, he would likely have been decapitated by the impact. The fact that he was not wearing a seat belt and that his window was open saved his life, according to his mother, Cindi Woodbury.

“We’re just amazed that he lived through this,” said Cindi, who received a call at work from Ryan shortly after the accident, telling her to come home immediately. “It’s a parent’s worst nightmare.”

Kevin is back at the family’s Lancaster Farm Road home making a slow but steady recovery. He requires round-the-clock care and he has been seeing several doctors for his injuries. He said he wasn’t feeling up to making any comments about the accident.

He is scheduled to start attending college soon, but those plans will have to be put on hold until he recovers, Cindi said.

Ryan has been called a hero by his family and friends who applauded his quick thinking. After the accident, Ryan not only ran to Kevin’s aid, but he also took a lead role in working with the police and insurance companies.

“Everyone else has called me a hero, but I think everyone would have done the same as I did,” he said.

Cindi said she’s traumatized by the experience, but she’s thankful her son is alive. Over the past few days, the family has been surrounded by friends, relatives, and community members who are constantly checking on Kevin.

Ryan said he’s amazed at the circumstances of the accident. That he happened to be traveling in the opposite direction only five minutes away from his house when he witnessed the wreck is amazing, he said.

“There are so many things that could have changed the (whole situation),” he said.

Kevin is in good spirits and he has given several emotional thank yous to his brother. Now, he and his family are taking things one day at a time, Cindi said.

“No one can explain why he’s still here,” she said. “Things like this just teach you that every day is a gift.”