Plattsburgh man dies in motorcycle accident

Local News

Discussion

PLEASE NOTE: There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

ALSO NOTE: Derisive name-calling of an individual or group will result in the entire comment being deleted. This includes the terms "stupid" and "idiot" and similar references.

Welcome to our new online comments feature. Before you can join the discussion, you must first register with Disqus and verify your email address.

Once you do, your comments will post after they have been reviewed by a moderator.

We welcome your thoughts and your opinions, including unpopular ones. We ask only that you keep the conversation civil and clean.

Not all comments are deemed printable. Some are disqualified, at the newspaper’s discretion, for a number of reasons. Here are some typical practices to avoid in trying to get your comment printed:

There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

Don’t state as a fact something that is unsubstantiated or that our editors wouldn't know to be true.

Don’t presume someone’s guilt in a case when it hasn't been established by a court.

Don’t assail or impugn an identifiable individual or group. If you have that kind of criticism, sign your name and submit it as a Letter to the Editor. (There is some leeway on this in connection with public officials, but it is not unconditional.)

Don’t use profanity. This includes the term “tea bagger.”

Don’t be incendiary or tasteless. Those qualities are subjective, of course, and our editors will be the arbiters.

Do not identify yourself in the main content area of the article content form. Only by enforcing this rule can the moderators prevent unscrupulous commenters from falsely identifying themselves as someone they are not.

Don't type in all caps. It is considered the Internet equivalent of shouting.

In sports articles, do not criticize officiating.

Remember, moderators are not allowed to edit any article comments. If an article comment fails any of the above criteria, the entire comment will be deleted.

We monitor comments Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Approval of comments outside these times may be delayed.

comments powered by Disqus

July 19, 2008

By STEPHEN BARTLETT The Press Republican Sat Jul 19, 2008, 12:01 AM EDT

Staff Writer

and KATELYN MOCKRY

PLATTSBURGH -- A former Plattsburgh man was killed in Vermont Thursday evening when his motorcycle collided head-on with a truck.

Jere Brown, 40, who lived in the Plattsburgh area from 2002 to 2007, was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident in the town of Guildhall, Vt., located in the Northeast Kingdom near the New Hampshire border.

Brown had been visiting friends in Plattsburgh earlier in the week and was driving through Vermont on his way home to Milan, N.H. Thursday night.

He was traveling north on Vermont 102 when Vermont State Police say he lost control of his motorcycle trying to negotiate a sharp curve. He slid on the pavement into the other lane and collided with a pickup truck heading south and driven by Marcus Smith, 26, of Woodsville, N.H.

Smith took evasive action, but was unable to avoid a collision.

No one else was injured.

Police say speed appears to have been a factor and are investigating the accident.

Vermont 102 was closed for more than two hours.

Brown was the owner of Git-R-Done Construction located in Plattsburgh. He would travel to the area twice a week to operate the company with his former fiance, Brenda Rabideau, and her son, Kevin Burdo, of Plattsburgh.

Rabideau, who remained close friends with Brown after their relationship ended, said he was a dedicated and thoughtful person.

"He was kind and caring. If I asked him to come here at 2 a.m. because we needed something, he would come here no matter what. That's just the kind of person he was; he would do anything for anybody."

Rabideau, who will now take over ownership of the construction company, said Brown was particularly close to her children: son Kevin; daughters Ashley and Chelsea Burdo; and step-daughter Heather Rabideau.

"We were all one big family. The kids were always close with him."

Rabideau said Brown will be cremated in Burlington and his ashes will be sent to his parents, Donna and Clyde Brown, in Maine.

She asked that any donations in his memory be made to the American Cancer Society.

"He was very close with my mom, Frances Nichols, who died of breast cancer a couple years ago, so he'd really appreciate that," she said.

"He just wanted to see other people smile. He will be greatly missed."

E-mail Stephen Bartlett at:

sbartlett@pressrepublican.com