HAMPTON — The 19-year-old woman who drove the vehicle that struck and killed two bicyclists on Saturday morning never was a licensed driver and had been stopped for speeding in the exact spot of the accident less than eight hours before the crash, according to police.

HAMPTON — The 19-year-old woman who drove the vehicle that struck and killed two bicyclists on Saturday morning never was a licensed driver and had been stopped for speeding in the exact spot of the accident less than eight hours before the crash, according to police.



Hampton Deputy Police Chief Richard Sawyer said Darriean Hess, of Seabrook, was speeding at 59 mph in a 30 mph zone at 12:45 a.m. on Saturday while going over the Neil R. Underwood Bridge in a 2002 Honda Civic on the way into Hampton. She was issued a must-appear court summons by police for the speeding violation, as well as driving without a valid license.



Sawyer said Hess, who was the lone occupant in the car, never had a driver's license in New Hampshire and therefore police ordered her to wait on Ocean Boulevard until a friend arrived to drive her car away. If she had a revoked or suspended license, she would have been arrested on the spot, Sawyer said.



On the contrary, “Operating without a valid license is not something we normally arrest for,” Sawyer said.



Police said Hess initially told a police officer she did not have her driver's license with her, but later informed the officer she did not have a license.



Sawyer wouldn't comment on where the car was headed, saying that's not typically logged in the incident of a minor speeding violation.



Later Saturday morning, at about 8:30, police said, Hess was driving again when her vehicle crossed from the southbound lane on the Underwood Bridge into the northbound lane and struck four bicyclists, fatally wounding two women in the very spot she was speeding hours earlier. At the time, about 1,500 bicyclists were riding in the 40th annual Granite State Wheelmen Tri-State Seacoast Century ride, which starts and ends at Hampton Beach.



Sawyer said Hess hasn't been charged with any crime at this time. Rockingham County Attorney Jim Reams said the investigation is of a “criminal” nature. Sawyer said police spoke with Hess at the scene of the crash and later at Portsmouth Regional Hospital, where she was treated for minor injuries. After she was treated and spoken to, she was free to go, Sawyer said.



Sawyer declined to comment whether drugs or alcohol are considered to be factors in the crash, but he said a “statistical blood analysis” was taken to check for substances. The results of those tests take some time to come back, Sawyer said, because the blood is transported to the state lab for testing.



A driver can refuse to undergo the blood analysis and face legal penalties, Sawyer said, but Hess complied with the test.



There were no reports from the “numerous” witnesses on bicycles and in cars that Hess had been seen using her cell phone at the time of the accident, Sawyer said. Asked if police had gone through Hess' phone to see if she'd recently sent any messages, Sawyer declined to comment.



Sawyer said the department is interviewing “all the witnesses we can locate” to determine “what actually did happen.” He said at the time of the crash there were “bicyclists everywhere” in addition to the vehicle traffic, and the call center “received numerous calls” about the crash.



The two deceased women have been identified as Pamela Wells, 60, of South Hamilton, Mass., and Elise Bouchard, 52, of Danvers, Mass. Wells was taken to Exeter Hospital and Bouchard to Portsmouth Regional Hospital.



The two other bicyclists injured were Uwe Uhmeyer, 60, of Essex, Mass., and Margo Heigh, 54, of Danvers, Mass. Uhmeyer was transported to Portsmouth Regional Hospital and Heigh was taken to Anna Jaques Hospital in Newburyport, Mass., where she was released by Sunday.



Wells' widower, Tom Rogers, said police confiscated Hess' cell phone and car, as well as the bicycles of those who were hit.



He posted on Facebook notifying Wells' friends of the “tragic” news.



“The love of my life, my dear sweet Pam (Pamela Ann Wells), was killed this morning in a horrible accident ... Pam and I were married 19 years. She was a devoted mother to our 2 beautiful children, Alex, 17, and Elise, 16.”



Wells was planning to ride 100 miles for the first time and had been working up toward it all summer, Rogers said. She, Bouchard and a third friend logged a 73-mile ride last week.



The three along with Bouchard's boss were struck after they had ridden about 15 miles, Rogers said.



“It's just a tragic event,” he said.



Hess is due to appear at 8:30 a.m. on Oct. 23 in the 10th Circuit Court in Seabrook to face the summonses for speeding and driving without a license.



Police ask anyone with information relating to this accident to call the Hampton Police Department at 929-4444 or the CrimeLine for the Hamptons at 929-1222.



Material from an interview with Tom Rogers reported by the Associated Press was used in this report.