(N.H. Attorney General's Office)
By Michael Casey, Associated Press
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Thousands of motorcyclists will rumble across New Hampshire roadways Saturday to honor seven bikers killed in a collision with a pickup truck last month.
Organizers of the Ride For the Fallen 7 said the event started out as a way for some motorcyclists to remember the bikers with a ride to the crash site in Randolph. But word of the ride spread and now there are expected to be up to 5,000 riders making the 90-mile (145-kilometer) trip north from a bar in Laconia to Randolph. A memorial service will be held that afternoon at a motel where the bikers had stayed.
"We wanted to do something to give back and it was going to be a small ride. It turned into this," said Brian DeSimone, one of the ride's organizers, who said he was partly inspired by the support he received after a near-fatal crash three years ago.
"I'm amazed," he continued. "The biggest reason for the turnout is that it affected two core communities — the biker community and the military community. These communities are extremely loyal and have always looked out for one another."
Manny Ribeiro, the president of the Jarheads Motorcycle Club, which the seven riders belonged to, said the memorial ride was just another reminder that the biker community is generous.
"We are just part of this huge community," Ribeiro said. "Those people aren't there just because seven motorcyclists died. Those people are there because the seven motorcyclists were class-A people who would give their shirts off their back for each and every one of you if you needed it. Those are the people who died."
State safety officials have met with the organizers to ensure a safe and successful ride.
The seven bikers were killed last month when a pickup truck hauling a flatbed trailer crashed into the group. The pickup driver, Volodymyr Zhukovskyy, 23, pleaded not guilty to negligent homicide and remains behind bars.
Killed were Michael Ferazzi, 62, of Contoocook, New Hampshire; Albert Mazza Jr., 59, of Lee, New Hampshire; Desma Oakes, 42, of Concord, New Hampshire; Aaron Perry, 45, of Farmington, New Hampshire; Daniel Pereira, 58, of Riverside, Rhode Island; and Jo-Ann and Edward Corr, both 58, of Lakeville, Massachusetts.
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