2 Die After Car Slams into Bicyclists During Annual Northeast Coast Ride (UPDATE: Police Say Driver May Have Been Texting)

HAMPTON, N.H. (TheBlaze/AP) — Two bicyclists are dead and two other bicyclists were injured after a car slammed into them Saturday during an annual ride along the New England coastline, police said.

The crash — which police say may have occurred while the driver was texting, reports NECN-TV — happened on a two-lane bridge in Hampton at about 8:30 a.m., just after the start of the 40th annual Granite State Wheelmen Tri-State Seacoast Century ride.

Car that hit bicyclists is towed away. (Credit: NECN-TV)

Killed in accident were Pamela Wells, 60, of South Hamilton, Mass.,, and Elise Bouchard, 52, of Danvers, Mass., according to NECN-TV, adding that the driver is Darriean Hess, 20, from Seabrook, N.H.

Authorities haven't said whether Hess, who sustained minor injuries in the crash, will be charged.

(Credit: NECN)

Event organizers and police didn't immediately return messages seeking comment on whether the event would continue. A section of Route 1A was closed off while police investigated the crash.

The route typically follows the Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine coastlines, the event's website said.

The event included rides of up to 100 miles on Saturday and Sunday. Riders were encouraged to follow all the rules of the road as they encountered narrow colonial New England roads, steel-decked bridges, and weekend traffic, according to the event's web site.

The ride is organized by Granite State Wheelmen, a bicycling club.

Here's a report from NECN:

This story has been updated.

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