A 20-year-old man is dead and his 20-year-old passenger is seriously injured after the SUV they were in went off the roadway and struck a fence and tree overnight in New Gloucester, Maine.
New Gloucester Fire Rescue says they were called to 97 Dougherty Road around 12:12 a.m. Saturday for a crash with reported entrapment and one person unresponsive.
Crews arrived to find one person dead, and the second heavily entrapped. The extrication was prolonged, according to New Gloucester Fire Rescue. Once the passenger was finally removed from the SUV, he was taken to Maine Medical Center with serious but non-life threatening injuries.
The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office has identified the man who died at the scene as Brandon Robinson, of Damariscotta, according to News Center Maine.
Robinson’s passenger, identified as Cody Huff, of Portland, is expected to survive, the sheriff’s office added.
Authorities believe Robinson was driving westbound on Dougherty Road in a 2021 Chevrolet Bolt EUV when he lost control, causing the SUV to cross the center line and go off the left side of the road, where it ultimately struck a wooden fence and a large tree, News Center Maine reports.
Speed and alcohol are believed to be factors in the deadly crash, which remains under investigation.