SEABROOK, N.H. — Traffic and safety officials from across New England say they'll be increasing patrols and cracking down on dangerous driving July 25-26, though hope the messages they share about safe driving will last much longer.
First responders spoke Thursday during a news conference in Seabrook, New Hampshire, hosted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Emergency officials explained why they believe it's so important to share the message.
"I remember hearing the location on the radio and thinking this was not a road we normally respond to," one emergency responder from Maine said, recalling a heart-wrenching crash he witnessed 25 years ago.
Brian Langerman is the deputy fire chief and paramedic with the Westbrook Fire Department.
"I remember getting out of the ambulance and seeing a woman lying face down on the side of the road with a large amount of blood surrounding her," he said.
But what was even more disturbing, he recalled, was the memory of seeing the woman's daughter crying and screaming as she stood over her mother.
"The daughter had recently returned home from college, and her mother took the morning off work to take her to breakfast," Langerman shared.
He said the mom had been speeding and leaned down to grab a cigarette lighter right before the vehicle struck a bend in the roadway and crashed.
The mother, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was thrown from the vehicle and landed 40 feet away from the pavement. Langerman said when they got to the scene it was immediately clear: "There was no chance of saving her life."
As Maine joins other New England states for two days of increased patrols to monitor speeding, Langerman said there was a reason he shared that story.
"I don't feel like this is a unique story. I feel like it's happened over and over again," he explained.
Fatal crashes in Maine are at the highest rate they've been in five years, according to data from the Maine Bureau of Highway Safety.
Maine Highway Safety Director Lauren Stewart said excessive speed is playing a huge part in the increase.
"Lots of times it's on a rural road that isn't designed for the types of speed these people are doing," Stewart said.
Increased patrols to monitor speeding across the region are part of efforts to combat the issue.
Stewart said efforts in Maine will extend beyond just two days.
"Our law enforcement will be out all summer looking for speeders and trying to save lives," Stewart said.
Part of that outreach effort includes emphasizing the importance of wearing seatbelts, adjusting to weather conditions, and reporting reckless drivers.
Langerman said those small tasks can prevent tragedies like the one he saw 25 years ago and all that have happened since.
"That's what I was unable to provide to her then, but I am able to provide them to you today," he said.