'He took my world': Widow who lost husband in fatal crash speaks out after driver charged

SEABROOK — Jessica Edom-Zajac said she remembers clearly seeing a Toyota Corolla strangely emerge from traffic turning left into The Brook casino on Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022.

“I said, 'What’s that car doing?'” she recalled. “That’s when Jeff turned to me and said, ‘Brace yourself.’”

Edom-Zajac said she closed her eyes and held her arms to her chest as the car continued, crashing into the motorcycle she was on with her husband, Jeff Zajac. She remembers waking up at the crash scene. Badly injured, she said she called for Jeff but quickly was told what happened.

“He’s gone,” she heard someone say before passing out again.

Almost 11 months later, Edom-Zajac is recovering physically but still devastated by the loss of her husband, who she married in August 2022. Zajac, 51, and Edom-Zajac, 50, were scheduled to hold a wedding ceremony a week following the crash. They had eloped earlier.

Zajac was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident, while his wife was left with serious injuries. The driver of the Corolla, Dennis Martin, 76, of Salisbury, Massachusetts, has been indicted on charges of negligent homicide and vehicular assault. Police said alcohol was not believed to be a factor, but the indictments allege he “cut off” Zajac’s motorcycle, causing the crash.

Edom-Zajac said she has internally forgiven Martin and does not believe he meant to take her husband’s life. She believes he broke the law, however, and could have driven safely into The Brook parking lot.

“I do feel that he should be charged,” Edom-Zajac said. “He took my world within a flash because he was impatient to wait.”

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Newlyweds met and fell in love at Hampton Beach

Edom-Zajac said it was her husband’s gentlemanly nature and the “twinkle in his eye” that made her fall in love. She said they were at Wally’s Pub in Hampton Beach on their first date Nov. 12, 2019, when she told him to just be himself.

He flashed a grin.

“Are you sure?” he asked her.

“I said bring it on,” Edom-Zajac said she replied. The two were engaged on the same date the next year, and they chose the same date for their wedding, Nov. 12, 2023.

Zajac wanted to do everything for Edom-Zajac, she recalled. He surprised her by fixing her car before she even knew he could work on automobiles. She said he treated his mother the same as well.

“If he could do it, he did it,” she said.

Zajac believed strongly in chivalry, she said. He insisted on opening the car door each time they drove, she said. He always carried the groceries in and told her to go inside. Edom-Zajac said she was an independent woman but embraced Zajac’s affection.

“He won me over,” Zajac said. “We just had this unbelievable chemistry and genuine love for each other.”

The couple were planning to hold their wedding in Atkinson but lived in Shirley, Massachusetts. With Zajac’s busy work schedule, they thought they would never find time to go north to New Hampshire to get the marriage certificate. Instead, they decided to go down the street and get it done at the town hall in August 2022.

“To us, we were always married to each other by heart,” Edom-Zajac said.

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Wife: Driver who killed husband made 'bad judgment call'

Edom-Zajac said her memory of the crash leaves her with no doubt that Martin should be charged. The couple was on the bike at 2:14 p.m. that day when she recalled seeing Martin’s 2010 Toyota waiting in line to turn left at The Brook. She said the driver was cutting ahead of other cars to enter the casino.

“It was like he was going straight on (Route) 107,” Edom-Zajac said.

Edom-Zajac does not believe Martin meant to take Zajac’s life. However, she believes he made a conscious decision behind the wheel and should have known better.

“I don’t think he set foot to take that left and take Jeff out,” Edom-Zajac said. “I think his intention was to beat traffic and cut across, and he made a bad judgment call.”

Martin is facing two counts of Class B felony negligent homicide and two counts of misdemeanor vehicular assault. Each of the felonies carries 3½ to 7 years in prison, while the misdemeanors could carry up to 1 year in jail.

Edom-Zajac said she has no “ill will” towards Martin but believes the crash was “no traffic accident.” She plans to attend Martin’s Oct. 20 arraignment in Rockingham Superior Court in Brentwood.

“Do I want him to go to jail? I really don’t,” Edom-Zajac said. “But I also know it’s out of my hands. These are the laws, and this is what they’re charging him with.”

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Edom-Zajac recovers from injuries, remembers her husband

The physical recovery for Edom-Zajac has been challenging, and she still has a long road. She suffered two punctured lungs and fractures in her arms, legs, pelvic area, neck, spine and ribs, according to her family.

Edom-Zajac was going back to school while working in high-end catering. She said her injuries have left her unable to work, and she will need more physical therapy.

Support from a GoFundMe page posted last year has left Edom-Zajac grateful. The page has raised $28,394 to go towards medical bills, but also the cost of living. She also said losing Zajac forced her to find a new home, as they were still looking for a house together.

“I was blown away,” Edom-Zajac said.

This Saturday, Sept. 30, Edom-Zajac is hosting a motorcycle ride in Zajac’s honor, starting and ending at the VFW on Route 125 in Kingston. She plans to make it the annual Ride for Life/ Ride for Jeff for years to come with all proceeds going to Zajac’s favorite charities.

Remembering her husband is hard with him gone, Edom-Zajac said, but she is happy she got to be part of his life.

“I’m so grateful that I became his wife,” she said. “I had the opportunity to love him and to know him and be a part of him.”

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Widow of Seabrook NH Route 107 motorcycle crash victim speaks out