Police walk between two of three automobiles involved in a fatal collision Saturday afternoon on state Route 4 in Auburn. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal
AUBURN — A Hartford man was killed and other people were injured Saturday afternoon when a pickup truck crossed the centerline on state Route 4 in Auburn and collided with two automobiles, according to police.
Zachery Cowett, 32, died when his vehicle was hit by the pickup truck driven by Stephen Witham, 50, of Lewiston, police said.
Shortly after 5 p.m., Witham was traveling southbound in a 2013 Dodge Ram pickup on Route 4, near Lake Shore Drive, when the vehicle crossed the centerline and veered into the northbound lanes, according to police.
Witham’s truck first hit a northbound 2021 Nissan Rogue SUV driven by Elise Harvey, 35, of Hartford. The impact caused the Nissan to overturn and come to a stop on its roof. Harvey and her three teenage passengers were treated for minor injuries and released, police said.
After hitting Harvey’s SUV, Witham’s pickup truck collided with Cowett’s 2015 Nissan Murano. Cowett, who was alone in the SUV, died from injuries suffered in the collision, according to police.
An SUV involved in a three-vehicle collision Saturday afternoon rests on its roof on state Route 4 in Auburn. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal
Police said Witham, who was alone in his pickup truck, was taken to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston with injuries considered serious but not life-threatening.
Police said Witham did not have a valid driver’s license and his right to operate a motor vehicle in Maine was under suspension.
The Lewiston Police Department, Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office and Auburn Fire Department also responded to the crash, which remained under investigation Sunday.
Part of Route 4 remained closed to traffic until about 3 p.m. Sunday so investigators could continue their examination and photograph the scene.
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