Two teens die after crash in Steuben Tuesday night
8/26/09 | 38 comments

Two teens die after crash in Steuben Tuesday night


By Nok-Noi Ricker
BDN Staff

STEUBEN, Maine — Two teenagers have died as a result of a crash Tuesday night at the junction of Route 1 and the East Side Road.

Zachary Dean, 17, of Columbia Falls and Morgan Parritt, 15, of Steuben died as a result of the collision at the intersection, which occurred at around 9:30 p.m.

They were in a 2001 Chevy Cavalier with a 12-year-old girl, according to a press release from the Washington County Sheriff's Department.

“The Chevy Cavalier, driven by Zachary Dean, was traveling at a high rate of speed down the East Side Road heading toward Route 1 and failed to stop at the stop sign,” Deputy Chief Mike St. Louis of the Washington County Sheriff’s Department, said Wednesday morning.

The car pulled into the path of Brooke Burgess, 31, of Steuben, who was driving a 2003 Jeep Liberty on Route 1 and couldn’t avoid crashing into the car’s driver’s side, St. Louis said.

Burgess was traveling with her husband and daughter at the time of the crash, none of whom were injured, according to the press release.

“The fatalities are a result of severe head trauma,” St. Louis said.

Dean was pronounced dead at Maine Coast Memorial Hospital in Ellsworth and Parritt died at East-ern Maine Medical Center in Bangor.

The 12-year-old girl in Dean’s car also suffered head injuries, St. Louis said.

The girl was in stable condition by midafternoon Wednesday, St. Louis said.

It was not known if the teens were wearing seat belts, he said. He did say alcohol use did not appear to be a factor.

“It’s still under investigation,” he said.

A large number of emergency responders worked as hard as they could to free the teens and save their lives, St. Louis said.

“Jaws [of Life extrication devices] from two agencies were used,” he said. “Steuben and Cherryfield fire department worked to extricate everybody.”

Local crews were assisted by Maine State Police, the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department, firefighters from Cherryfield and Milbridge, and Pleasant River Ambulance and County Ambulance.

“They did the best they could,” St. Louis said.

A large crowd of locals gathered Tuesday night at the crash scene, and included Town Clerk Julie Ginn, who also is a fire department employee.

“They were kids and have a lot of friends,” she said Wednesday morning. “It was just a sad scene.”

BDN reporter Rich Hewitt and photographer Bridget Brown contributed to this report.

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Comments
38 comments on this item
On 8/26/09 at 12:46 PM, ataloss wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

WOW NOW I SEE WHY YOU GUYS SLAM BANGOR DAILY NEWS FOR GETTING THEIR STORIES SCREWED UP, THE 3RD YOUNGSTER INVOLVED WAS NOT MORGAN'S YOUNGER SISTERS.. MY GOD, NOT EVEN CLOSE???????????????

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On 8/26/09 at 12:59 PM, Amazed wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

My sincerest condolences to the families of these kids. I can't begin to imagine their loss or their pain and hope I never have to know what they are going through. God Bless all of you.

I will keep the 12 year old in my thoughts and prayers.

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On 8/26/09 at 1:13 PM, pthrtyeght wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Who was the younger child? any info on who if its not a younger sibling to Morgan?

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On 8/26/09 at 1:13 PM, Kevin_of_Bangor wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Ataloss did you read the story? It states this...

""""a 12-year-old who was believed to be Parritt’s younger sibling""""

Now tell me where did the BDN screw up?

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On 8/26/09 at 1:18 PM, pthrtyeght wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

also my sincerest condolenses to all.... a sad tradgedy...

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On 8/26/09 at 1:27 PM, fudgieee wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

I don't mean to sound mean or anything but what were these parents thinking of letting their teens go out for a joy ride at 9:30 at night? Whatever happened to probation whereas teens are not allowed to drive without a licensed supervised parents?

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On 8/26/09 at 1:30 PM, Damoma wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

To the family and friends of the two lost lives. My heart goes out to you. We just had a young boy pass away from an accident on MDI. Too many deaths of our babies. My prayers and thoughts are with you at this tragic time.

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On 8/26/09 at 1:34 PM, JohnnyBananas wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Such a tragedy.. My condolences to the both families..

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On 8/26/09 at 1:42 PM, realist38 wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

A new driver has no curfew after six months, this guy was seventeen. You only need a licensed adult when you have a learner's permit. Sympanthy to the family and friends of these young kids.

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On 8/26/09 at 2:42 PM, cracker wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

My condolences to all involved. Speed seem's to be more and more of a problem.

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On 8/26/09 at 3:08 PM, diva9680 wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

My condolences go out to the entire families of the Zachary Dean & Morgan Parritt! So very sorry for your lose! & also the 12 year old girl who was also hurt, My Prayers & Thoughts go out to ALL of you! about the comment from fudgieee, you have got some nerve to critisize the parents when you dont even know the situation! you are a very rude, ignorant person. you must NOT have children because if you did you would know that you CAN NOT watch their every move!!! So maybe next time you write a comment maybe you could show a little respect for the grieving family, & friends, and show some condolences,,, or better yet keep your mouth shut!!! So sorry for the rudness of some people! RIP: Megan & Zach!

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On 8/26/09 at 3:29 PM, thechampisbeer wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

was alcohol involved?

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On 8/26/09 at 3:34 PM, vchapes wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

What a horrible loss!!

.

Fudgieee- SERIOUSLY?!?! He was 17, you can obtain a license at 16, restrictions only are for 6 months i believe. It's SUMMER, why can't they be out at 9:30 at night?!?!?! Maybe they went to the movies or something! I went to the fair and didn't get home until 1 this am... I'm not sure why the time bothers you THAT much... 9:30 is not late.

.

Thoughts are with the young girl, and the teens families. I know the feeling.

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On 8/26/09 at 3:40 PM, thechampisbeer wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

first off yeah I think the restrictions are 6 months...yet childe can't be out driving past 6pm

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On 8/26/09 at 3:44 PM, pthrtyeght wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Restrictions for new drivers..

No passengers except famlly for 6 months

Not on road AFTER Midnight-4 am (It might be 5 )

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On 8/26/09 at 3:45 PM, vchapes wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

i have never heard they can't drive after 6 pm?!?

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On 8/26/09 at 3:57 PM, pthrtyeght wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

the only time restriction is Midnight to , I thought 4 am, it might be 5am-6 am.. but its right around that time. I am really sure about the midnight curfew.

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On 8/26/09 at 4:36 PM, JoAnne427 wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

I reread this story over four times and the news reporter never once said who the 12 year old was related to.

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On 8/26/09 at 4:41 PM, ataloss wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

pthrtyeght no, the younger girl was not morgan's sister... i will not tell you her name because of her age and they are my family. but she is doing ok and thank god she is going to make it, and she's a good kid...

diva9680 THANK YOU! UR SUPPORT IS APPRECIATED...

details are scattered. i can tell you that zach had worked on a harvester all day long, i'm sure he was exhausted...

I WANT MY FAMILY THE PARRITT'S TO KNOW HOW VERY VERY SORRY WE ALL ARE AND MAY YOU FIND SOME SORT OF PEACE AND ACCEPTANCE IN ALL OF THIS... ALOT OF PEOPLE ARE THINKING OF YOU FOLKS WITH LOVE AND SYMPATHIES... TO JENNY, ALL OF YOUR FRIENDS ARE THINKING OF YOU AND I PRAY YOU FOLKS ALL PULL TOGETHER TO GET THRU THIS... EVERYONE LOVED MORGAN...

TO

TIMMY AND VELMA DEAN, I'VE KNOWN YOU FOLKS MY WHOLE LIFE AND YOUR COMMUNITY AND FRIENDS ARE THINKING OF YOU WITH LOVE AND SUPPORT. ZACH WAS A GOOD GOOD KID AND WE ALL KNOW HE WAS THE LIGHT OF YOUR LIVES... PEACE

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On 8/26/09 at 4:53 PM, betelayne wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

The only thing that really matters now is that someone's son and someone's daughter are not with them any more and that another family is praying that their loved one will live.Nothing will ever be the same for these families or the lone survivor if she pulls through.It was a tragic accident .Young people don't realize the consequenses of their actions until they are grown and have children of their own.Let's not blame the parents.Instead,let's pray for them ,for the friends of these young people and for the young girl who is suffering in the hospital.Let us also be thankful that the family in the other car was not injured.That's all we can do and it's also what we need to do.God Bless the families and friends of these young people.

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On 8/26/09 at 4:54 PM, jimmiejohnson wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

To all the families involved my sincere condolences to you. I know being from "Downeast" that it is a close knit community and when tragedy strikes you have friends you didn't even know you had. Ma the strength of all your families and friends help you get through this tragic loss. I know several of the people that are involved in this whole situation and this truly breaks my heart. To the "young girl" I wish a speedy recovery and hope she is able to cope with all of this. Best Wishes! XOXOXO

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On 8/26/09 at 5:03 PM, PurpleFlurp wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Morgan was one of my classmates at SMHS...she will definitely be missed by her friends and peers at school.

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On 8/26/09 at 5:11 PM, donnelly wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Morgan and Zach will be missed dearly! R.I.P. I hope the young girl makes a speedy recovery.

And my thoughts and prayers are going out to the parents of ALL of them :(

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On 8/26/09 at 5:20 PM, pblake61 wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

that's it all you dumb phuuucks who want to keep driving that way ... you reap what you sow ... sad, but tru

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On 8/26/09 at 5:31 PM, thechampisbeer wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

SAD BUT TRUE

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On 8/26/09 at 5:35 PM, carrie3177 wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Hello to all, I am best friends` with Zach's sister and I wanted to reach out on behalf of his family and say thank you to everyone's warm wishes and kind hearts. It is hard for Zach's sister to be in FL and far away from everything going on, but it has been amazing to see the outreach that has come out of this tragedy. "Down Eastern" folks are one in a million and become one when tragedy bestows upon them.

Please know that the family has Morgan's family in their prayers as well as the other rider in the vehicle.I ask that you don't place blame on the Dean family or Zach for this unfortuniate event as it was a horrible accident that happened. I know in time everyone will heal and it is a process.

Again, thank you so much and respect the families by not saying rude, hurtful things that represnt falacies vs. truth; there are a lot of things we will most likely never know about that evening. We can accept that.

God Bless...He is with Zach and Morgan, I am certain. Much love to everyone suffering with the greatest heartache at this time

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On 8/26/09 at 8:19 PM, lovetheBDN wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Zach was a wonderful young man. He truly loved his family and spoke so highly of his sister in Florida as well as his mom and dad. It is a shock to know that you are gone Zach and we will be lifting your family up in prayer.

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On 8/26/09 at 8:24 PM, Tikitorch wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Such a sad loss for the communities! I feel for the families and fellow students and NHS and SMHS! This is just terrible. I hope that parents and choldren alike learn from this terrible tragedy. No time for any blame games here people, nobody really knows the whole story ang nobody ever really will. RIP beautiful children and prayers to the lil' one in the hospital..

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On 8/26/09 at 8:25 PM, kateindfcity wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

My condolences and thoughts go to the family and friends of these young kids. My family just lost someone last week and I can imagine the pain you are going through. There need not be bickering over what is right and wrong, these families need to mourn.

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On 8/26/09 at 8:58 PM, Bob_from_Orland wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

My condolenses to the families involved in this time of your loss. As a parent of teens who drive, there is always that nagging fear in the back of your mind everytime they are out on the road that something like this might happen. To all of you who are blaming the families and running off at the mouth with all the hateful negative comments, I am guessing your either don't have licenses or got them later in life. Either that or something in your bitter adulthood is blocking out the early years when you were teen drivers who didn't have the restrictions newer drivers have now. Likely back then you could ride around with a car load of your pals the day you got yours, and admit it, the freedom was awesome and you pulled stupid stunts now and then, you just were lucky to have survived to this point. So how about laying off the crap and let this family greive in peace.

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On 8/26/09 at 9:08 PM, Adelaide wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Absolutely heartbreaking - My sincere sympathies to the families and community of these young people.

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On 8/26/09 at 11:06 PM, carrie3177 wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

First thing I want to say is thank you to everyone that has called, texted or messaged myself and my family. Zachary was my younger brother and the apple of my eye. And thank you to those who have not spoke ill-hearted about my brother or about what has happened. I truly wish everyone had the opportunity to be touched by Zach. He was a bright young man that had so much ahead of him. He was class president and was getting ready to apply to college as many seniors are at this time. For those of you who are wondering if alcohol was involved, I want to be the first to say that Zachary was not a partier. I know many people say that family members are the last to know but I would like to think that it was differnet for us. Next I would like to say how sorry and how much my heart goes out to the others and their familes that were affectedby this event.

As far as the time that they were out, I can only speak for my family when I say 9:30 is not that late. I know that many people in that area are in bed early but keep in mind they are not as old as many. 9:30 at night is actually kinda early for the rest of the world. My brother had recently gotten off of work. For those people who have a job out there you know that you cannot just simply go to bed as soon as you get home, especially when you are seventeen.

I am currently at a loss of words, but still want to thank everyone for their prayers and blessings.

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On 8/27/09 at 10:17 AM, hollyjo wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

I have had my license for 3 months, and there is a curfew of MIDNIGHT. thank you. Zachary had his license long enough that they curfew didn't apply anymore. Zachary Arthur Dean was a friend of mine, and I'd appreciate it if you all wouldn't bash him for his driving or bash his family. Let alone Morgans. Accidents happen, but this one just happened to be more severe. It could have happened to any of us. Think before you speak because we're all grieving right now. I didn't even get a chance to say good-bye to him. They were great kids, and I'll admit that it shouldn't have happened, but what can we do now? I'm sure the families would thank you all for your condolences.

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On 8/27/09 at 7:50 PM, 88pooki wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

My heart, thoughts and prayers are with all who have suffered this great loss. I did not know Zach very well but I am very close with his sister, Lindsey and know that Lindsey held her brother very close to her heart. She loved him very much, was extremely proud of him and will greatly miss him. I hope everyone in Maine can be supportive of these families at this time of loss and reach out with open arms. They left us much too soon....

With much love from Florida

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On 8/27/09 at 8:40 PM, cessna wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

I am praying for both families. This is a tragedy that no parent should have to go through. It is so sad to say the least. I know the Deans very well and know how special Zach was to them. I cant express myself enough at how sad I feel for them in this time of sorrow. Velma and Timmy, I love you guys. Lindsay be brave, we all know how much you loved Zach too. He is heaven becuase he was great kid. He will be missed greatly!

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On 8/28/09 at 7:38 PM, littleinbucksport wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

I didn't really know Morgan all that well and didn't know Zach at all, but I do know a good part of Morgan's family and I would like to send our deepest condolences to all of them. I also have a 17 year old son that has many friends from that area and he was familiar with the kids that were involved. I can't believe how some people can be so inconsiderate as to write some of the things that they are writing on here. All I can think of is that it is pure ignorance on their part. The families are going through a very rough time and the last thing they need is to hear rude things out of the mouths of people that probably have no idea who these people are or anything about them. To all the families involved please just disregard people's rude comments and use this time to celebrate the wonderful lives of these beautiful children even though they were cut way too short. To Zach and Morgan, RIP dear angels, God holds a special place in heaven just for people like you.

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On 8/31/09 at 9:12 AM, swemaggie wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

anyone posting awful comments should be in the shoes of the parents of these children

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On 9/21/09 at 8:11 PM, hilaryandgeoffsmith wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

so sorry bout the loss of ur kids.. and i didnt know them but they seemd likeable and sweet. i kno someone who was friends with morgan, she was a friend to all.. RIP morgan and zach... things happen thats why they call it a accident no one is at fault its not the parents fault tehy let there kids go out they went for a ride and accidents happen, could have happened to any of us, it shouldnt have happened it did, what can we do now? not a damn thing.. ppl are ignorent dont listen to ppl who put the parents and friends down.. no one is at blame its a sad story and sad scene that happened we cant do nuttin bout it but keep them in our hearts and soules RIP children... u will always be remembered and loved by all who knew u

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