DERRY — A 21-year-old Lawrence, Mass., man died on Monday, May 12, after crashing his dirt bike and being thrown into Ballard Pond over the weekend.
Jonathan Garcia may have hit a patch of loose sand that caused him to lose control of his dirt bike on Sunday morning, police Capt. Vernon Thomas said on Monday. He was riding on the Rockingham Recreational Trail when he crashed just before 11 a.m., police said.
According to the police report, Garcia was traveling about a quarter of a mile from Warner Hill Road when he lost control of his bike and crashed into the woods. After crashing into the woods, Garcia and his Suzuki 125 fell down a hill and eventually stopped at Ballard Pond.
When police reached the scene, Garcia was face down in the pond and his bike was half submerged, police said.
Thomas said early indications show that Garcia may have lost control of his bike when he hit soft sand on the trail. Derry police are still investigating the incident with the help of the state Fish and Game Department.
Garcia was taken to Parkland Medical Center but then transported to Massachusetts General Hospital by medical helicopter. He died on Monday morning from head and neck injuries he sustained in the crash.
Police said an all-terrain vehicle driver saw Garcia in the water and contacted the police officer patrolling the trail at 10:48 a.m.
