RUMFORD — Two people were taken to Rumford Hospital by ambulances early Saturday evening after a motorcycle ran into the back of a car stopped on Route 2 to make a left turn onto Route 232, police said.

Thomas Rackliff, 52, of Berlin, N.H., suffered a possible compound fracture of a leg, and head and hand lacerations when his 1997 Harley-Davidson ran into the back of a Jeep Compass driven by Erik Giguere, 34, of Lewiston, Rumford police officer Brad Gallant said on scene in Rumford Point.

Med-Care Ambulance took Rackliff and Bethel Ambulance took Giguere, who complained of neck pain.

Gallant said Giguere was stopped in the westbound lane at 5:30 p.m., waiting for oncoming traffic to pass before turning left onto Route 232. He said Rackliff collided with the passenger-side rear corner of the Jeep, ripping off a section of plastic bumper.

Rackliff was thrown from the bike but was conscious and alert.

Rumford firefighters directed one-lane traffic past the accident scene for about 40 minutes.

Gallant said it was the third motorcycle accident in four hours and the most serious.

At about 3:47 p.m., six experienced motorcyclists from the Cape Cod area in Massachusetts were riding west at 30 to 35 mph on Main Street (Route 2), Dixfield police Sgt. Jeff Howe said.

Ronald Demillo, 71, of Falmouth, Mass., was riding a 2002 red Honda Goldwing in the middle of the group and apparently fell asleep, Howe said.

Demillo’s bike drifted to the right and struck the curb near the entrance to the Dixfield Town Office. Demillo, who was wearing a helmet, was catapulted over the handlebars and landed on the pavement beside the Town Office, Howe said.

“His bike flipped over the curbing and, thankfully, landed beside him and not on top of him,” he said.

Howe said Demillo suffered bumps, bruises and abrasions and temporarily lost consciousness. Med-Care Ambulance took Demillo to Rumford Hospital, Howe said.

The Goldwing was totaled. Dixfield firefighters assisted Howe with traffic.

Rumford firefighters were clearing the first motorcycle accident of the day in Mexico when the Dixfield accident happened, Gallant said.

At 1:49 p.m., Susan Lajoie, 59, of Poland, drove off Route 2 onto Veterans Memorial Bridge over the Androscoggin River in Mexico and made too wide of a turn, tried to correct it and ran into an elevated sidewalk, Mexico police said. She suffered minor injuries and was taken by Med-Care Ambulance to Rumford Hospital, Mexico officer Rob Drouin said.

A nursing supervisor at the hospital declined to provide information about the victims or to confirm that they were taken to Rumford Hospital.

tkarkos@sunjournal.com

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