Massachusetts Motorcyclist Injured In Route 101 Crash In New Hampshire

EXETER, NH — A motorcyclist from Massachusetts was taken to Portsmouth Regional Hospital on Friday after a serious crash on Route 101 in Exeter.

New Hampshire State Police troopers were sent to the area of Exit 9 in Exeter around 11:15 p.m. for a report of a motorcyclist trying to pop a wheelie on the eastbound side of the highway, losing control of the bike, and crashing, according to dispatch. At first, a witness stopped to assist and said they could not find the rider. Later, they found the rider, and he was badly injured, dispatch said.

When first responders arrived, they found a 2013 Harley-Davidson FLHX down in the area of Mile Marker 123.2. While it remains under investigation, according to Amber Lagace, a public information officer for the department, “the motorcycle departed the left side of the roadway, entered the center median, and struck a guardrail.” The rider, Shawn Fleming, 24, of Weymouth, MA, was thrown from the motorcycle on the travel side of the highway, she said.

“Several passing motorists stopped at the scene of the crash to render aid to Fleming until emergency services arrived,” Lagace said.

The Dartmouth Hitchcock Advanced Response Team helicopter was initially requested but returned to service. EMTs took Fleming to Portsmouth Regional Hospital for treatment.

Route 101 east was closed from Exit 8 in Brentwood to Exit 9 in Exeter. Traffic was rerouted for around two and a half hours while troopers investigated the crash, and emergency personnel removed the motorcycle and debris, she said.

The Hampshire State Police Collision Analysis & Reconstruction Unit responded to assist with the investigation. Lagace said the Bentwood, Epping, and Exeter police departments, the Exeter Fire Department, DHART, the New Hampshire Department of Transportation, and New England Truck Center all assisted state police.

All aspects of the crash remain under investigation by Trooper First Class Brian Gacek of New Hampshire State Police – Troop A Barracks. Anyone with information is asked to contact Trooper First Class Gacek at Brian.F.Gacek@dos.nh.gov or 603-679-3333.

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