Friends and family are mourning the death of a Gorham school bus driver who died doing something she loved – riding her motorcycle with her husband and friends.

Almost every weekend, they rode together. But on Sunday, in what one friend called “a freak accident,” Rochelle Plummer, 43, of Gray, died during a motorcycle ride with seven others around Sebago Lake.

Trying to avoid a van that was waiting to make a left turn off Route 114 in Naples, Plummer was thrown from her motorcycle when it skidded into a dirt gully. She died of head and neck injuries, according to the State Medical Examiner’s Office. She was not wearing a helmet, authorities said.

As mourners prepared to gather at Gray-New Gloucester High School Thursday for a memorial service for Plummer, her husband, Will Plummer, captain in the Gray Fire Department, spoke about the joy she brought to his life.

“She had the biggest heart in the world,” he said Tuesday. “She loved older people and loved little kids.”

Plummer worked for the past six years as a bus driver for the Gorham School Department, according to Judy Philbick, secretary with the district’s transportation department.

“She was always laughing,” Philbrick said. “She walked into a room and made everyone smile, that was just the kind of person she was.”

The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the cause of the accident.

Others injured included Joseph Kashinsky, 56, of Windham, who was airlifted to Maine Medical Center in Portland with a severe head laceration and possible internal injuries and broken bones. As of Tuesday he was in satisfactory condition.

Cumberland County Sheriff’s Deputy Samuel Cofone, 45, of Scarborough, was taken to Maine Medical Center in Portland via ambulance and later released with abrasions.

Will Plummer, 61, suffered minor injuries, as did his passenger, Gray Firefighter Meghan Fenton, 22, and Glenn Meehan, 37, also with the Gray Fire Department. Warren Nason, 49, of Gorham, also suffered minor abrasions.

Mathew Magill, a dispatcher from the Cumberland County Regional Dispatch Center in Windham, was uninjured. Magill and Nason were the only two of the eight riders wearing helmets at the time of the crash, according to Cumberland County Sheriff Mark Dion.

The driver of the van, James Giberson, 29, of Sebago, was uninjured.

Everyone involved except for Magill was given a blood alcohol test.

At a press conference Monday, Dion said the steep grade, blind curve and new pavement on the road all could have been factors.

“Sometimes accidents are simply that – accidents,” said Dion, adding that the roadway is a challenge “even for an experienced driver.”

Dion said he did not yet know if speed was a factor, adding that the speed limit on that stretch of road is 40 mph. Giberson did not appear to be at fault, as he was lawfully waiting for oncoming traffic before turning, said Dion.

Plummer had several years of experience with motorcycles. According to Meehan, she completed a weekend-long motorcycle safety education course at least four years ago.

Paul Dunham, a retired state policeman who teaches an eight-hour motorcycle safety course at Mullen’s Driving School in Windham, said his class includes a section on group riding, focusing on formations, distances between motorcycles and having a group leader and sweep rider.

According to her husband, Plummer was an avid athlete, Red Sox fan, health nut and housekeeper. “Her decorating skills are second to none,” he said.

The couple celebrated their 10th anniversary June 12. Will Plummer said they enjoyed riding motorcycles and snowmobiles together, sitting in their hot tub, eating out, going to movies and just sitting and talking.

Though they didn’t have any children together, Plummer became the stepmother to her husband’s two children, Sarah Plummer, 33, and Carrie Lorfano, 31, both of Gorham.

“She was a happy, full of life, beautiful person,” said Lorfano, adding that Plummer took good care of her husband and her family.

She was also active with the Gray Fire Department. Meehan said she brought food and drinks to firefighters in the field and had been helping out at events and fundraisers for around 15 years.

“She was a sweetheart,” Meehan said. “She helped you out whenever she could.”

Meehan, who has been riding motorcycles since he was 16, was the lead biker in the group of seven motorcycles. He said the group goes out almost every weekend, though the number of riders varies. Meehan said the group had decided to go for a ride Sunday to keep Fenton busy while her parents set up a surprise birthday party for her.

Meehan said he had ridden on that particular stretch of road many times and started to slow down before he came around the turn.

“I just couldn’t slow down fast enough,” Meehan said. He pulled around the van to the left onto a dirt road, where he slid off his bike at the last minute. Meehan said he expected he would be the only one to go down, but when he got up he found everyone down. Magill was the only one able to manuever through the crash scene safely.

“It’s a real bad intersection,” Meehan said. “It’s a blind corner.”

Nason was riding third in the order, and he estimated that they were riding around six bike lengths apart. Nason said he has been riding for a couple of years, which he guessed made him the least experienced in the group. “They’re very, very good riders,” Nason said, adding that they weren’t speeding or drinking.

Nason, who works for Shaw Brothers Construction, said the new pavement may have contributed to the accident by making the road slick in the heat of the day.

Will Plummer said the group was riding in a staggered formation. When they saw the van, they all tried to stop at the same time.

“It became a chain reaction,” Plummer said.

He was riding fourth with Fenton as his passenger. Rochelle Plummer was riding her motorcycle behind him.

“This was just a freak accident,” Meehan said.

Motorcycle accident claims well-liked Gorham school bus driver

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