Accident claims life of Weare teen

A fatal accident claimed the life of 17-year old Sean Sandmann of Weare on Monday afternoon after Sandmann’s motorcycle crossed into oncoming traffic and collided with a pickup truck.
Sandmann, a rising senior at John Stark Regional High School and employee at Shaw’s Supermarket in Hillsborough, was traveling east on Reservoir Road when he crossed into the westbound lane and was struck by Michael Pelletier, 50, also of Weare.
“Everybody is in mourning here at the high school,” John Stark principal Michael Turmelle said Tuesday. “I think everyone’s first response was really one of mourning and sorrow for the family.”
Police received a call about the accident at 1:13 p.m. Monday. According to police reports, CPR was administered on the scene and Sandmann was transported to Concord Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Sandmann was wearing a helmet at the time of the incident, and neither drugs nor alcohol appear to be factors in the crash, the police said. Pelletier was uninjured.
One local news report stated that Sandmann was on his way home to change his clothes before going to work at Shaw’s.
The accident sent shockwaves through a John Stark community that has dealt with plenty of tragedy in recent years. Since 2006, John Stark has endured the death of Russell Durgin in combat as well as the passing of teachers Scotti Jenks and Cliff Eisner and long-time custodian Paul Pelletier.
That the school is currently on summer vacation complicated the process of informing the John Stark community, Turmelle said. An email alert was sent to everyone in the district Tuesday morning, and counseling was set up at the high school for students and adults on Wednesday and Thursday. Turmelle said the school also provided resources for parents, such as websites on grieving and ways to help a student in a time of loss.
A makeshift memorial was set up just inside the school atrium, featuring a candle and a photo of Sandmann, as well as posterboard for students to leave personal messages of condolence.
The school plans on sharing the memorial with the family.
“We try to do as much as we can think of,” Turmelle said. “The sad thing is there are a lot of kids and faculty and staff members who may not learn about this, if they are away with their families for vacation. I think the grief process is going to be something we are going to be trying to handle as we go throughout the summer, and again when we start school in August.”
Sandmann was a “very quiet kid who was very well-liked,” by Turmelle’s account. By Tuesday afternoon Turmelle had already received dozens of emails and phone calls from classmates and parents, and several people had stopped by the school.
Turmelle said he expected the support to continue, and hoped the community would be able to provide some relief for the family during the tragic time.
“I’ve already spoken with a lot of his teachers, and they are pretty shook up,” Turmelle said. “It’s very personal, but at the same time you have to be able to rise above that to be prepared to help other people. We have an outstanding faculty and staff here and a lot of people in the communities of Henniker and Weare that will rally to support the family.”