State Police Grapple With Speeders, Lightning Strike

It was a wild weekend for state police in New Hampshire and Florida. In NH, it was a group of seven riders from Massachusetts who were nabbed for going “at extremely high rates of speed.” In FL, it was a case of dealing with a crash involving a motorcyclist who was struck by lightning:

Courtesy of New Hampshire State Police

Speeders Caught In Dragnet

Seven riders from Massachusetts were arrested Sunday and charged with reckless operation after state police in NH clocked them going in and out of traffic and reaching speeds of 125 miles per hour in a 65 mph zone on Route 101 in Raymond. Two passengers were not charged.

According to the state police, Trooper Thomas Lombardi was monitoring traffic from a state police helicopter when he spotted the group. Troopers on the ground were notified and were able to slow traffic and pull over the riders as they approached Exit 4.

Arrested were Sean Burr of Quincy, Dallas Rogers of Marlborough, Orlando Rosario of Worcester, Phi Tran of Dorcester, Emoni Vincente of Quincy, James Vo of Braintree and Anthony Walsh of Dedham.

They are due to appear in Candia Circuit Court on Oct. 19.

Lightning Kills Rider

Meanwhile, a 45-year-old motorcyclist from Charlotte, NC died Sunday when he was struck by lightning and went down while riding on I-95 in Ormond Beach, FL.

The rider was pronounced dead at the scene at 2:11 p.m. All three southbound lanes of I-95 were shut down for about 45 minutes. One lane reopened to traffic about 3 p.m.

The Florida Highway Patrol posted a picture of the rider’s helmet on Twitter. The pictures shows two large gouges on the top. An FHP spokesperson said a vacationing state trooper from Virginia witnessed a bolt of lightning strike the rider’s helmet. The rider reportedly then veered off the road and crashed.

Courtesy of Florida Highway Patrol

About Bud Wilkinson

Bud Wilkinson writes the "RIDE-CT" motorcycle column and the "My Ride" classic car feature in the "Republican-American" newspaper in Waterbury, CT. A graduate of Vermont Academy, he received a B.A. degree journalism from Ohio Wesleyan University in 1975. He is the recipient of a Scripps Howard Foundation National Journalism Award in 1992 and a 1991-92 regional Emmy Award for commentary. He currently rides a 1987 BMW R 80 RT and a 2014 Triumph Bonneville and drives a 2010 Mazda MX-5 Miata and 2008 Ford Ranger pickup.