Bicyclist Struck, Killed by Hit & Run Driver on Route 125 in Kingston, NH

A bicyclist and retired police officer was struck and killed by a hit and run driver on Route 125 in Kingston on Tuesday as she prepared for the upcoming Unity Tour.

The southbound lanes of Route 125 were closed for several hours after State Police found the body of Donna Briggs, 59, of Derry, and her bicycle down an embankment near New Boston Road around 8:30 p.m. Briggs had been reported as missing and Kingston police had been looking for her.

Briggs was retired from the Hudson, NH Police Department, Chief William Avery told Seacoast Current.

The initial investigation by the State Police Collision Analysis & Reconstruction Unit determined Briggs was struck from behind by a dark-colored vehicle also traveling south around 11:37 a.m. which left the scene. Investigators were also able to review video from a nearby business.

Briggs is the second retired police officer to die unexpectedly in New Hampshire within the past week. Retired Deerfield and Raymond police officer James Tomlinson died at the Walmart Distribution Center in Raymond after being crushed between two trucks.

"Like a Little Sister"

Avery said she was a close friend and colleague who went through the police academy with him in 1993.

"She was like a little sister to me. When we were working patrol I always looked out for her. Just a good person who was riding her bike training for the Unity Tour to raise money for the law enforcement memorial," Avery said. "Tragic. Shocking."

This year's ride is scheduled for Oct. 9. She and officer Michelle McGowan were planning to ride from New Jersey to the Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington.

State Police asked anyone who witnessed the incident or has any information to call 603-545-4396.

In August police from several departments made a total of 294 motor vehicle stops and issued 64 citations and 240 warnings during a directed patrol on August 6. There have been nearly 450 crashes and 118 individuals injured on Route 125 since 2016, according to State Police.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNH