Three Lives Lost in Car Crashes in Amherst and Merrimack This Month

As Amherst and Merrimack residents reflect on what were some of the most important stories in 2013, December will most certainly stand out as the month where both towns tragically lost three people to motor vehicle accidents.

The most recent of these deaths occurred on Friday when John Ferraro, 62, of Amherst was killed when the 2004 Toyota RAV4 he was driving crossed the center line of the roadway and struck a 2012 Ford Escape head on just west of Caldwell Drive.

Ferraro was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. The driver of the Ford Escape, Karla Lessard, 55, of Milford, was transported to Southern New Hampshire Medical Center in Nashua for treatment of unspecified injuries. The cause of that crash is still under investigation by Amherst Police.

Ferraro's death occurred just two days before friends and family members of retired fire chief John Bachman paid their last respects after he was struck and killed by a motorist while checking his mail in front of his home on Monday, Dec. 23. Travis Hobbs, 20, of Mont Vernon turned himself in to police and was arraigned for negligent homicide after he told police he thought he hit a snowbank when his car struck Bachman.

Just five days before Bachman was killed, Eric M. L'Ecuyer, 29, of Merrimack was killed on Route 101 in Milford when he was involved in a two-car crash.

Milford Police say L'Ecuyer was headed west on Route 101 and, for unknown reasons, crossed into eastbound traffic, hitting the truck operated by Richard Benotti, 78, of Temple.

As police in both communities continue to investigate the causes of the three accidents, what steps do you feel could be taken to make the roads safer? Tell us in the comments below.