ORRINGTON — A 59-year-old motorist was severely injured in a hit-and-run crash late Saturday morning on Route 15 in Orrington, and police say they have found the person whose vehicle slammed into that driver’s SUV.
Penobscot County Sheriff’s Deputy Jason Matheson said late Saturday afternoon that authorities tracked down the gold sedan that witnesses reported fled the scene after the crash. The 29-year-old driver was located in Bucksport, Matheson said.
Deputies, Maine State Police and a Maine Warden Service airplane, which was in the skies on other business in the area when police called it in for help, were involved in the search for the vehicle.
Matheson declined to release the identity or gender of either driver because he hadn’t been able to confirm whether the victim’s family had been notified and had not yet interviewed the suspect driving the gold sedan. He did say charges would be pending against the driver of the car who allegedly fled after the crash. He did not yet have an update on the condition of the driver of the SUV.
The crash happened around 11:30 a.m. in the area of 420 River Road. Witnesses and neighbors at the scene said a gold sedan slammed into the rear of a black SUV that had stopped in the road, waiting to turn left. Both vehicles were traveling south.
The impact sent the SUV into the corner of a home’s front porch at the opposite side of the road, causing severe front-end damage to the vehicle. The SUV then rolled backward down a hill, crossed Route 15 again, and came to a rest in a neighboring front yard, according to a witness who saw the aftermath of the crash. That witness asked not to be identified.
There was a long pair of skid marks leading up the the spot where the impact happened and a patch of glass, plastic and other debris at the end of those marks.
After the crash, the operator of the gold car that allegedly struck the SUV drove away toward Bucksport. Witnesses described the vehicle and police launched their search for it.
Neighbors performed CPR on the SUV driver before ambulances arrived, according to witnesses.
After being identified, the operator of the sedan was taken to Eastern Maine Medical Center by a deputy for treatment, according to Matheson.
“Charges will be pending,” he said.
Matheson said it’s unlikely further information will be released or confirmed about the crash until Monday.
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- Emergency crews respond to a crash on Route 15 in Orrington late Saturday morning. Police say a black SUV was struck from behind, seriously injuring the driver. The other driver fled from the scene and police have since found the person.
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