Seven motorcyclists were killed on a rural highway in New Hampshire Friday night after a pickup truck towing a flatbed trailer plowed into the group, Bloomberg reported.
Among those who perished in the fiery crash were several marine veterans who had been riding as part of the group to attend a charity event.
As they travelled along a two-lane highway in the North Woods community of Randolph, they were stuck by the pickup truck, which subsequently caught fire.
Beatrice Engstrand, a witness of the crash who had been staying at a nearby inn, told WMUR the flames were "about 20 feet high" and the air was clouded with "intense smoke."
Enstrand, a neurologist, said she applied a tourniquet to one of the injured and performed compressions on others until medical help arrived.
"It was just terrible. No one thought of taking photos or anything like that. You just want to help the people who were screaming and laying there in the road."
The third was transported by air and remains in hospital.
The names of the victims of the crash will not be released until their families are notified, New Hampshire Deputy Attorney General Jane Young told CNN. Their bodies have been taken to the medical examiner’s office in Concord.
Dawn Brindley's bike fell to the ground during the collision and she rolled to get out of harm's way.
"It was just all fire," she told WMUR. "I just looked around. Somebody helped me up. I was just hysterical."
Authorities are asking the public for help in the form of videos, photos, or any other information regarding the accident or the vehicles involved.
"This is one of the worst tragic incidents that we have investigated here in the state," New Hampshire State Police Col. Chris Wagner said. "It’s going to be a very lengthy investigation."
A GoFundMe has been set up for the victims of the crash and their families.
The description on the page states: "Our pack was struck by an oncoming vehicle and we lost 5 patch holders and 2 supporters, and many others are injured. Our club and the families are going to need help and we cannot do it alone."
Since it was posted on Saturday, the campaign has raised nearly $200,000 of its $700,000 goal.
