Bentley University Graduate Killed in Crash

A Bentley University graduate died on Friday, June 14 when a tractor-trailer struck the bicycle he was riding in Maine, according to Maine State Police. 

David LeClair, 23, of Watertown, was killed when he was riding with a group of friends in the 180-mile Trek Across America on Route 2 in Hanover, Maine. The ride was a fundraiser for the American Lung Association, according to WBZ-TV.

The accident occurred at around 8:45 a.m. when the back part of truck struck LeClair’s bike, according to Maine State Police. LeClair was killed instantly.

Officers later located a truck, which did not stop after the crash, that matched witness descriptions, according to police. Police are speaking to the driver and examining the truck.

The Kennebec Journal identified the driver as a 24-year-old Quebec man named Michel Masse-Defresne. The driver is cooperating with police, according to the newspaper, and no charges have been filed. The driver may not have been aware he struck LeClair.

Investigators, who are not completely sure Defresnes’s truck was the one that struck LeClair, are seeking additional evidence, including video, according to the newspaper. The crash remains under investigation. 

LeClair, a 2011 magna cum laude graduate of Bentley, was fondly remembered in a statement from the school. 

“David made a significant impact on our community in the four years he was at Bentley, beginning with academics as a trustee scholar and a member of the honors program. Outside the classroom, David played many roles across campus, from an admissions ambassador to freshman seminar facilitator to student diversity council member,” the statement reads. “He held multiple e-board and member positions in many student organizations, including PRIDE and the Green Society. David had the ability to transcend boundaries and establish effective communication, respect, and openness among a diverse array of students, faculty, and staff on issues that affect our entire community and create positive action out of it.” 

LeClair worked at Athenahealth in Watertown, according to WBZ-TV.