The driver of the truck investigators believe was involved in the death of a bicyclist in the Trek Across Maine event Friday has been identified by police as a 24-year-old Quebec resident.
Michel Masse-Defresne was probably driving the tractor-trailer that killed David LeClair 23, of Watertown, Mass., on U.S. Route 2 in Hanover, Steve McCausland, spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety, said Saturday.
He said Masse-Defresne has fully cooperated with the investigation.
McCausland said no charges have been filed against Masse-Defresne, who was stopped miles away in Rumford as he drove the truck eastward. Masse-Defresne was traveling in a tractor-trailer owned by Transport Beauregard Inc. of Quebec on his way to deliver a load of bulk corn to an Augusta feed store.
McCausland said the truck driver was unaware that he might have struck LeClair. Investigators said it is common for tractor-trailer operators to be unaware of such accidents.
McCausland said there appear to be no issues with Masse-Defresne’s driving log and compliance with trucking laws. He said there is also no evidence on the truck that confirmed it was the truck involved. But police said they believe it was the truck, based on witness descriptions.
McCausland said investigators are still seeking video that may have recorded the accident and have not ruled out the involvement of a second truck.
He said investigators are still trying to piece together the sequence of events that led to the accident, which occurred about 8:45 a.m. Friday. He said LeClair was struck by a vehicle and was run over but what caused him to be struck is not clear.
McCausland said the Maine State Police report would be reviewed by the Oxford County District Attorney’s Office once it is complete. He did not know when that would be.
LeClair was riding with a 140-member team of athenahealth employees.
A contingent of athenahealth employees marched in the Southern Maine Pride Parade in Portland on Saturday to mark the death of their colleague. Dressed in gray and black, the marchers held up photos of LeClair as they quietly marched.
Beth Quimby can be contacted at 791-6363 or at:
bquimby@pressherald.com
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