Concord police ponder fatal Clinton Street accident

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The Concord police said they hope witnesses will come forward as they continue to investigate Friday night’s two-car crash that killed 31-year-old Jesse Wolfe, a Concord High graduate who loved sports, hip-hop and fishing, and seriously injured his girlfriend’s 7-year-old daughter.

Wolfe, the divorced father of two young children, was driving on Iron Works Road at 7:30 p.m. when his car collided with another vehicle at the intersection with Clinton Street, the police said. His girlfriend’s sister, Quin Kuck, suffered minor injuries and was released from Concord Hospital the night of the accident, the police said.

But Kyara Mailhot, the daughter of Wolfe’s girlfriend, Kaylan Kuck, sustained serious head injuries and was moved to Boston after a brief stay at Concord Hospital, family members confirmed. Wolfe and Kaylan Kuck lived together in Manchester.

Mailhot remains in serious condition and was in a medically induced coma as of late yesterday afternoon, according to Shaleen Gilpatric of Tilton, a close friend of Wolfe’s who asked Kaylan Kuck for permission to release details about her daughter.

Lt. Tim O’Malley of the Concord Police Department said the driver of the other car, whom he would not identify, was alone and suffered only minor injuries. O’Malley added that there was no indication alcohol played a role in the accident, although toxicology reports were still pending and the accident reconstruction team had not finished its report. O’Malley said charges could be forthcoming, but it was too early to tell.

“We want to make sure we do everything by the numbers before we start making accusations,” O’Malley said. “We’re going to make sure we have all the facts. Once we get the reconstruction stuff done and sit down and look at all the witness statements, then we’ll look to see if there are any charges coming.”

While the police try to figure out what happened, Wolfe’s friends and family will gather at the Cremation Society of New Hampshire, 243 Hanover St. in Manchester, for visiting hours Friday from 5 to 8 p.m., and a celebration of his life Saturday starting at 11 a.m.

Wolfe, who worked in the laborers union, was the oldest of four children, the son of Larry Wolfe, a retired school teacher who taught at the former Eastman School for more than 30 years, and Susan Wolfe, a stay-at-home mom who is active in her local church.

The accident occurred while the couple was visiting their son Micah in Oklahoma, where he teaches fifth grade and lives with his wife and 6-week-old daughter, Violet. Larry and Susan were seeing their granddaughter for the first time when their daughter, Rebecca, called from their Concord home to relay the news.

Micah said in an email that his older brother took him to his first hip-hop show, at the University of New Hampshire in Durham. They attended their final show together last Christmas in Boston. He last saw him on Fathers Day, during a surprise party for Larry’s retirement.

“For myself, I cannot think of a thing I will do and not think of my big brother,” Micah wrote.

He mentioned the last time they went fishing. “I was striking out and Jesse was pulling up huge bass. The final morning I was there we went out on Turkey Pond one last time, and I had a pickerel within five minutes. He was more happy for my fish than he was for any of his. That is just who Jesse is. He finds his joy in the joy of others, and always wants to make those around him laugh and smile.”

Collin Wolfe, the youngest of the three brothers, graduated from Concord High in 2007 and is looking for work in Texas, where he lives with his girlfriend. He echoed his brother’s thoughts, saying, “He was always optimistic and thought positively, no matter how small or large the challenge seemed to be. He had a goofy laugh that was contagious. He always made you smile when he would leave you a freestyle voicemail.”

Wolfe and his girlfriend had planned to marry, Gilpatric said.

He and his ex-wife had two young children, Isabella and Anthony, and Wolfe grew close to Kuck’s daughter.

Wolfe’s uncle, Bruce Matthews, in town from Grand Rapids, Mich., said, “He was a guy with a lot of heart, and he taught us a lot about forgiveness and the idea of unconditional love. He was a genuine, loving person who made an impact on those who knew him.”

O’Malley said an older gentleman may have stopped at the accident scene to help. He hopes that person or anyone else who can help the police figure out what happened will call their office at 225-8600 or the Concord Regional Crimeline at 226-3100.

(Ray Duckler can be reached at 369-3304 or rduckler@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @rayduckler.)