One man is dead and a second hospitalized with serious injuries after their vehicles collided Wednesday afternoon on Route 302 in Casco.
Capt. Don Goulet of the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office said 29-year-old Adam Perron of Harrison was pronounced dead at the scene.
Perron was employed as a teacher at the Lake Region Middle School, according to school officials from School Administrative District 61. He was also a member of the town of Harrison’s Planning Board.
“It’s tragic whenever something like this happens, especially when it’s such a young person, who is just starting out and having an impact on students’ lives,” said Stan Buchanan, a member of the SAD 61 Board of Directors, who lives in Casco.
Buchanan said students are on spring break this week and some may not have heard about the Perron’s death. They return to class on Monday.
The driver of a Native Maine Produce and Specialty Foods box truck, 31-year-old Joshua McNally of Westbrook, was flown by medevac helicopter to Maine Medical Center in Portland. Goulet said McNally suffered serious injuries.
The helicopter is based at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire, according to the hospital’s website.
McNally was listed in fair condition Wednesday evening by a spokesperson for Maine Medical Center.
In a news release, Goulet said that McNally was driving east on Route 302 when he swerved into the path of Perron’s 2009 Pontiac Vibe, which was heading west.
The truck, which is registered to the Westbrook food distribution company, struck Perron’s car on the driver’s side and continued down an embankment. The truck rolled onto its side, pinning McNally under the vehicle.
Goulet told WCSH-TV that it took crews about 40 minutes to extricate McNally from the wreckage.
Route 302 between State Park and Tenney Hill roads was closed after the crash, which was reported at 1:15 p.m. It remained closed Wednesday until about 6:30 p.m. while crews cleaned up debris and police tried to reconstruct the crash at the site, which is known locally as Watkins Flats.
Members of the Sheriff’s Office Accident Reconstruction Team, Criminal Investigation Team, and members of the Maine State Police Commercial Vehicle Unit are investigating to determine the cause of the crash, Goulet said.
Perron was beginning his second year on the Harrison Planning Board. Fellow board member James Dayton described Perron as a “thoughtful member of the board who always did his research.” Dayton said Perron was also involved with the Lakes Environmental Association.
“A brilliant young mind, lost,” Dayton said.
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