A second person has now died from injuries stemming from an accident just east of Aurora on Route 9, Friday. Police say Lorraine Rice of Pembroke died instantly. Her husband, Wayn Rice, was flown by lifeflight to Eastern Maine Medical Center, but later died of his injuries.
The SUV, a 2009 GMC Yukon, was driven by Holly Hubley, 45, of Halifax, Nova Scotia. Hubley and her passenger, Trevor Graney, 35, also of Halifax, were taken by ambulance to a hospital in Bangor with non-life threatening injuries.
State Police say the Rices were in their 2002 Kia when it crossed the center line on a curve, and was struck on the passenger side by the SUV.
In this type of serious case, it is critical to conduct an accident reconstruction as soon as possible to preserve necessary evidence. For example, one of the best ways to determine whether speed was a factor in the accident is to examine and measure skid marks. Skid marks become markedly less visible as time passes, particularly if snow falls and the road is plowed. In addition, the damage to the vehicle is an excellent indicator of the speed of the vehicle immediately prior to impact, so it will be important to preserve the vehicle. At Peter Thompson & Associates, we have investigated hundreds of serious collisions and had the very best accident reconstructionists in the field determine how and why an accident occurred.