5 people killed on N.E. roads
Firefighter dies in motorcycle crash in N.H.
A Whitman firefighter, who was described as hardworking and generous, was killed Saturday when he crashed his motorcycle in Chester, N.H., his father said.
Christopher Baker, 22, was one of at least five people to die in road fatalities in the region this weekend, according to authorities. He was the third person to die in a motorcycle crash on area roads in recent weeks - a man was killed early yesterday in a motorcycle crash in Falmouth; and one man died and three people were injured in three separate motorcycle crashes on Cape Cod during the previous weekend.
"It's just a bad dream that will never end," Francis Baker said yesterday of his son's death. He said he did not know how his son crashed.
Chester police said the accident took place shortly after 6 p.m. Saturday on Haverhill Road.
No other vehicles were involved. Rescue vehicles responded to several 911 calls and found Baker dead at the scene. Police did not release details on the cause of death, but said speed may have been a factor.
Baker put in 60-hour weeks between a full-time towing job and shifts as an on-call firefighter in Whitman, his father said. In a phone interview from his Whitman home, he called his son "a happy-go-lucky kid" who had a strong sense of generosity and was committed to serving others.
He told the story of how his son had helped save four people whose car plunged 25 feet off a cliff in Quincy last July and landed in Blue Hills Towing lot, where Baker worked.
Baker helped two people free themselves from the vehicle and held up the head of a woman who was stuck in the car, dangling by her seat belt and close to choking.
Baker's family didn't learn of his involvement in the rescue until they saw him on the news.
"That's not the way he is," Francis Baker said, of his son suddenly being in the public spotlight.
Whitman Fire Chief Timothy Travers said Baker started working with the department in October and was "young and energetic, eager to learn. He was a nice kid."
A second motorcycle fatality happened early yesterday in Falmouth, when a man police did not identify crashed about 12:30 a.m. on Old Barnstable Road. The man died shortly after he was taken to Falmouth Hospital. Speed may have been a factor in the accident, police said.
In Fairhaven, a pedestrian was struck by a truck and killed while crossing Alden Road on Saturday morning, according to SouthCoastToday.com. Almerinda Mello, 83, of Fairhaven, was hit about 10 a.m. as she walked toward her home after leaving a flower shop, police said. Police said yesterday that no charges had been filed against the driver, Simon Farias of Acushnet, the website reported.
Two people died this weekend on Route 24 in separate single-vehicle crashes, State Police said. Brian Pendergast, of Brockton, lost control of a
Early Friday, Lisa Wedge of Lakeville lost control of a
Wedge, 39, was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected from the vehicle. She died instantly, said State Police Sergeant Timothy Finn.
State Police are investigating why Pendergast and Wedge lost control of their vehicles. Finn said he did not know whether speeding or alcohol factored into the accidents.
Maddie Hanna can be reached at mhanna@globe.com.
