November 12, 2009: A four-car accident on Route 1 Thursday afternoon resulted in multiple injuries and heavy damage to the vehicles involved. A 2008 Volvo station wagon driven by James W. Stott II, 55, of Cape Neddick, was traveling northbound on Route 1 when he struck a southbound 2008 Dodge Durango driven by 38-year-old Erin Latulippe of Ogunquit, who had two young children. Police said the force of the impact sent the Durango careening into a 2007 Kia Sedona van driven by Kelly M. Moulton, 42, of Cape Neddick, who had a 6-year-old child in her vehicle. Following that collision, the Volvo collided with a 2000 Dodge Ram pickup truck driven by Bryan J. Learned, 24, of Wells, which also rolled over.
The cause of this accident is under investigation. As personal injury specialists, Peter Thompson & Associates has investigated hundreds of multi-car accidents. In almost all cases, the primary and secondary causes of collisions are disputed, resulting in the need for a comprehensive accident reconstruction. While police will often conduct an accident reconstruction, we find it frequently necessary to conduct more detailed investigations of accident scenes to determine who, among the various vehicles involved, was at fault. Because important evidence that will be necessary to provide the most accurate investigation is often lost as time passes, it is critical that a comprehensive accident reconstruction occur as soon as possible and that all witnesses to the accident are interviewed to preserve their recollections.