Downed Harwich bicyclist still in ICU

By PATRICK CASSIDYSTAFF WRITERHARWICH - It was a week ago today that William Lawrence ''Larry'' Chandler Jr. spent his first full day in the intensive-care unit at Boston Medical Center.
Harbor assistant Larry Chandler is in serious condition a week after apparently being struck by a hit-and-run driver.
Chandler, 51, an avid bicyclist and fixture in Harwich, was struck riding on Route 28 last Saturday night, apparently hit by a car.
His condition has been upgraded from critical to serious, according to hospital officials, but the local ''kid'' still has a long way to go.
Police are still trying to determine how Chandler was injured.
Harbor Master Thomas Leach, who has been Chandler's boss for the past three decades, has said Chandler was hit on a dangerous S-turn along Route 28 where he was probably walking his bike in the heavy rain that night. Leach spoke about his friend last week.
''The town is as much his family as his family. He runs our shop and he does all the repairs - that sort of thing,'' said Leach.
When Chandler first started working for Leach he would complain about his duties. Leach now leaves a list of projects on an answering machine he bought specifically for that purpose and everything gets done without a word.
Chandler shingles, maintains moorings, welds and does anything else that needs doing. Two weeks ago Chandler twice went out to sea early in the morning to rescue stranded boaters.
Chandler's eclectic duties at work parallel his equally eclectic interests off the clock. A lifelong Harwich resident, he builds model cars, many of which are displayed at the harbor master's workshop. He reads incessantly, often tackling technical magazines that those around him can only wonder at.
''If he didn't have anything to read, he would pick up an encyclopedia and read it cover to cover,'' said his mother, Harriet Chandler. ''He has probably read every volume.''
Chandler's family has remained close.
He saw one sister, Pamela Marsh, most mornings on his way to work.
He visited his mother weekly. Another sister lives in Minnesota.
Chandler's mother has been surprised by the number of people who have asked about her son's condition.
''No matter where you go people say, 'Oh yeah, I know Larry,''' she said.
''I don't think he knows the impact he has had on the whole town,'' said Chandler's nephew, Patrick Sweeney.
Sweeney's wife, Paulette, trying to solve the mystery of what happened to Chandler, has spent the past week hanging framed pictures of him at the restaurants he frequented in town seeking information about the accident.
Even if nobody comes forward, having Chandler's face seen around town again is bound to be a source of comfort for residents here.
Patrick Cassidy can be reached at pcassidy@capecodonline.com.
(Published: October 30, 2005)