It was a somber show of support Friday as a procession of friends, colleagues and fellow bikers brought Raymond fire Capt. David Mains back home to Maine after he died Monday in a motorcycle crash in Massachusetts.
The procession, organized by the motorcycle club Fire and Iron, of which Mains was a proud member, made its way from Massachusetts to Maine, and dozens of his fellow brothers and sisters from that group were along for the entire ride.
Those in the procession said they hope Mains’ legacy will live on.
“This is something that makes his family proud of who he is, what he did and what he was a part of and that’s what we’re hoping to bring,” Jere Pelletier said.
Mains died after his Yamaha bike crashed into the rear of a Mercedes Benz on Interstate 495 in Chelmsford around 3:30 p.m. Monday, when the car slowed on the northbound lane of the highway because of traffic congestion, Massachusetts State Police said. Neither the car’s driver, a 56-year-old woman from Andover, Massachusetts, nor her young passenger were injured.
His passenger and wife, Jen Mains, was driven to Lowell General Hospital. She was later transported to Tufts Medical Center in Boston, and has since been released.
Mains and his wife were driving back from the Fire and Iron National Rally in West Virginia.
The crew at the Windham fire station stood at salute outside as the procession passed by on Route 302 just after 4 p.m. Friday.
Crew members said they didn’t know Mains personally, but there’s a brotherhood among all firefighters, so they were glad to get this chance to honor him.
There were more staff planning to pay their respects, but many were sent out on a call less than an hour earlier.
They said the fire service is like a big family.
They’ve all got each other’s backs and they want that message to be heard loud and clear at the fire department up the road in Raymond.
“I can’t really describe how it feels when we’re doing things like this,” Jordan Bridges said. “It’s — it really shows the true brotherhood behind our department and how close we all are as a family.”
A funeral for Mains is scheduled for Monday.
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