The body of a local man was pulled from the Presumpscot River Thursday morning after the car he was driving left the roadway and went into the river and overturned, police said.
No further details about the person were immediately available. Police are expected to release more information Thursday or Friday after his family has been notified.
It’s not clear when or why the vehicle, a gray Chevy Sonic, crashed into the river. It was first seen Thursday morning near the bridge at the border between Gorham and Windham, and appears to have entered the water from the Gorham side. The river serves at the town boundary line.
“At this point there is no reason to believe there was anybody else in the vehicle other than the driver,” said Gorham Police Chief Dan Jones.
There is a small bend on Mallison Road in Gorham as it approaches the bridge near the point where the car appears to have left the road.
The vehicle was first reported by an employee of Liberty Bell moving and storage, which rents a converted mill building overlooking the scene. Liberty Bell branch manager Spencer Marcuse said one of his employees called in the crash around 6:30 a.m.
At the scene Thursday morning, two divers in red dry suits remained in the water while a heavy-duty crane-style tow truck moved into position to remove the vehicle.
The car was later removed and will be taken to the Gorham Police Department. The man’s body was taken to be examined by the state Medical Examiner’s Office.
Marcuse said it looked like the vehicle missed striking a concrete bollard by a few feet. A gap in the bushes was visible where the car likely plummeted into the water.
Only the vehicle’s rear bumper was visible by 10 a.m. The car appeared to have entered the river from the Mallison Street side while traveling East.
Fire and rescue personnel from Windham and Gorham closed Mallison Street, Mallison Falls Road and Canal Street, and motorists should avoid the area.
Officials at the Presumpscot River where a car was found floating Thursday morning. (Matt Byrne/Portland Press Herald)
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