NewburyportNews.com, Newburyport, MA

SEABROOK - Sgt. Dana Bedell, an 18-year veteran of the Seabrook Police Department, died Sunday of injuries suffered in a single-car accident on Route 1 in Hampton Falls.

At the Seabrook police station yesterday morning, the flag flew at half-staff and black bunting surrounded its entrance as the men and women who worked side-by-side with Bedell for almost two decades mourned his loss.

"Dana was promoted to sergeant in 2005," said Seabrook police Chief David Currier. "When you promote someone, you never really know exactly how he's going to perform as a supervisor. I was very pleased to see that he was a strict supervisor. Dana was strict and he supported his officers. I was looking forward to him returning to duty in about a month."

An Amesbury native who graduated from Amesbury High School, Bedell lived in Kensington, N.H. His death at only 43 years old from a car accident was ironic, Currier said, for Bedell was a cancer survivor. He'd been out on disability for about a year battling testicular cancer through surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, and he had hoped to get back to work in about a month.

"He was putting on weight. He was exercising with his good friend and neighbor Jeff Gleason. He was getting himself fit to come back to work. He was in good spirits," Currier said.

According to state police, Bedell was driving southbound on Route 1 in a 1993 Ford pickup truck about 6 a.m. Sunday when his vehicle veered to the left, crossed the northbound lane of Route 1 and hit a utility poll near the Hampton Falls Motor Inn.

Bedell suffered massive head injuries and was revived at the scene by emergency medical technicians from Hampton Falls, Currier said, before being taken to Exeter Hospital. Bedell was later taken by helicopter to Dartmouth Hitchcock Hospital in Hanover, N.H.

"He was in very critical condition," Currier said. "I went with him in the helicopter; I didn't want him to be alone. He died later at Dartmouth Hitchcock about 10 Sunday night."

Currier said there was no evidence at the scene indicating Bedell tried to stop before hitting the poll, which leads Currier and others to believe Bedell may have suffered a medical problem that led to the accident. Currier said an autopsy was to be performed to try to determine a reason for the crash.

"We know there was no alcohol involved from the blood tests done as soon as he got to the hospital," Currier said. "That's standard protocol."

Bedell's health had been improving, Currier said. The day before the accident, Bedell was one of the groomsmen in the wedding of his cousin, Exeter police officer Bruce Page and wife Nicole. Bedell was driving Page's truck when the accident occurred.

Bruce Page told Currier that Bedell was in almost every wedding shot taken that day clowning around and was one of the culprits who tied tin cans to the back of the couple's car.

The scenario made Currier laugh. "Dana was a jokester," he said.

"We were very blessed to know Dana," Nicole Page said yesterday. "I was Dana's neighbor and he introduced me to his cousin Bruce. He told us at the wedding he'd done a good thing by introducing us."

Currier wasn't surprised Bedell was out so early Sunday morning. Bedell was an early riser, he said.

"I know what he was doing," Currier said. "He was out early with his dog getting a cup of coffee and the Sunday paper. That was Dana."

Search for Farrah

Officers from Hampton Falls, Seabrook and the New Hampshire State Police scoured the area looking for Bedell's constant companion "and best friend," his collie, Farrah, Currier said.

The dog was found by Trooper Gary Ingham in Hampton Falls. The dog had serious injuries and was taken for veterinary assistance. Currier said Seabrook's police union was paying for exploratory surgery to determine the extent of Farrah's injuries in hope of saving the dog.

"The biggest thing for Dana was his dog," said Seabrook Police Association President Scott Mendes, a detective. "We all knew he loved that dog to death. If we can keep his dog alive, we think we'd be doing what Dana would want."

Along with Bedell's devotion to his dog, he was remembered by those who knew him as a sturdy police officer with an enormous sense of humor.

"We went to the police academy together in 1992," said Kensington police Chief Wayne Sheehan, Bedell's good friend. "There's a lot of stress there and Dana was always the one in the class who could lighten things up. He was in here on Thursday or Friday busting my chops about beating me at golf. We were supposed to play together at 7:30 Wednesday morning."

Along with golf, Sheehan played hockey with Bedell during the World Police Games in Indianapolis in 2001.

"He was a big forward," Sheehan said. "He was the kind of guy you wanted to go into the corners with you."

Sheehan greatly admired the way Bedell handled the ordeal of his illness.

"He was just able to deal with the cancer in a very upbeat way," Sheehan said. "His personality was as big as he was."

A tall, sturdy man, Bedell is remembered by his motorcycle patrol teammate, retired Seabrook officer Ed Cody, as strong on all fronts. Cody agreed with Currier that Bedell was a "strict, by-the-book sergeant," which was good for the department and the officers on his 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday through Tuesday command shift.

"The one word to sum up Dana Bedell is tough," Cody said. "He was tough physically and mentally. He wasn't afraid of anything. He took his cancer in stride. To be honest, it was a blast being a motorcycle officer with Dana."

Seabrook Sgt. Mark Preston shared an office with Bedell. Asked what that was like, Preston chuckled.

"You want to know what he was like?" Preston asked. "He was a good-humored man and a practical joker."

"He'll be missed," Sheehan said.

Bedell will be buried with full police honors, according to Seabrook police Chief David Currier and family member Nicole Page. Calling hours will be on Tuesday, Aug. 7, at Remick's Funeral Home on Route 1 in Hampton from 4 to 8 p.m. The funeral will follow on Wednesday. The time and place of the memorial service were still to be determined as of last night. The family is requesting those who would like to send a tribute to Dana to do so by making a contribution to the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

Six-time Tour de France champion cyclist Lance Armstrong is also a testicular cancer survivor. His foundation can be reached at www.livestrong.org, or at Lance Armstrong Foundation, P.O. BOX 161150, Austin, TX 78716-1158, 512-236-8820.