‘Still in shock’: Newlywed bride recovering after husband killed in Seabrook crash
SEABROOK — Jeff Zajac had just eloped with his wife, Jessica, and was preparing to break the news at their scheduled wedding ceremony this month when a motorcycle accident took his life one week before.
The couple from Shirley, Massachusetts, were on their Harley-Davidson motorcycle heading south on Route 107 when a car turning left into The Brook casino struck them the afternoon of Nov. 5. Zajac, 51, was pronounced dead at the scene by police. Jessica Edom-Zajac, 50, is recovering from serious injuries while mourning the loss of her husband.
“I’m still in shock that this is even happening,” Edom-Zajac’s daughter Kaila Lane said.
A GoFundMe page has been created to help Edom-Zajac as she recovers from two punctured lungs, one of which collapsed, as well as fractures in her arms, legs, pelvic area, neck, spine and ribs. The page, created by Lane, had raised $24,194 at last check.
“Within a day, two days, I cannot believe how much we raised,” Lane said. “Especially since she has a long road ahead.”
Previous storyMotorcyclist killed, passenger injured in Route 107 crash in Seabrook
Couple met and fell in love at Hampton Beach
The couple met at Hampton Beach, where they also eventually became engaged. Lane remembers meeting Zajac a few years ago around the holidays.
“My mom could not stop smiling as he was getting ready to come over and meet everybody,” Lane said.
Zajac immediately fit in with the family. An Army veteran, he was kind and funny, she said, and always kept her mother happy.
“That made me happy,” Lane said. “He was one of the best guys.”
While family and friends knew the couple were engaged, no one knew that the couple had eloped together in August except for very close friends. They had a wedding scheduled in Atkinson for Nov. 12 and planned to announce there they had been married this whole time.
“They were going to tell everyone at the big celebration,” Lane said.
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A tragic accident in Seabrook
The day of the crash, they were on their motorcycle when they passed The Brook at 2:14 p.m. That was when police said a 2010 Toyota Corolla was traveling north on Route 107 and tried to make a left-hand turn into the gaming facility. The driver misjudged the turn and struck the couple.
Zajac was pronounced dead at the scene, while his wife was transported to a hospital. Police said at the time of the crash speed and alcohol did not appear to be a factor.
“From what we’ve heard and what was gathered, it was just an accident,” Lane said. “A sad, horrible accident.”
Lane, who now lives in Illinois, learned about the crash when she got a call from her sister.
“All she told me was Jeff passed,” Lane said. She learned from her aunt that her mother was stable soon after. Lane had already planned to come to New England for the wedding but booked a flight sooner to be with her mother.
Remembering Jeff Zajac
Lane said a celebration of life for Zajac was being organized in Massachusetts. She said her mother’s next hurdle will likely be healing her spine.
“Physically wise, it’s going to be a while, but she’s definitely getting better,” Lane said. “Mentally, it’s been a lot. She’s very aware that he’s gone.”
Ernie Houle said he was a friend of Zajac’s for 40 years and that the “shirt off your back” cliché literally applied to Zajac. The friends were supposed to go to a Garth Brooks concert together this year, but Houle needed to stay home due to his health. Later this year, he got together with Zajac, who was wearing a shirt from the concert and took it off to hand to Houle as a gift.
Houle said he was going to be at the ceremony where the couple was planning to renew their vows and reveal their secret.
“She was the one for him,” Houle said. Like many in his circle, he said Zajac’s sudden death has taken a toll on him.
“I see what it’s doing to everyone around me, and I’m feeling the same way,” Houle said. “I try and hold it together.”
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Newlywed killed in Seabrook motorcycle crash days before wedding
