ALBION, Maine — A local teenager was killed Thursday afternoon when the car he was driving overturned, according to police.
Ethan Evers, 14, of Albion was not wearing a seat belt when the car overturned on a dirt section of Barnes Road, Department of Public Safety Spokesman Stephen McCausland said in a statement.
Evers was thrown from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene, McCausland said.
Three other teens who were in the car, ages 15, 16 and 17, all from Albion, escaped serious injury, McCausland said.
Evers did not have a driver’s license and was not the car’s original driver. McCausland said he had asked one of the teens who was driving if he could have a turn at the wheel, and the older boy obliged.
The names of the other boys are being withheld as troopers investigate and determine whether any of them will face charges for allowing Evers to drive.
Teenagers between the ages of 15 and 18 must complete a driver’s education course and have several hours of supervised driving before they are issued a license.
heartbreakingly sad
I couldn’t agree more with you,so damn sad and heartbreakin..makes me wonder sometimes what the “Big Picture” is….sigh
This was an ACCIDENT and one young man died because of it, and the others will have to live with this the rest of their lives. My thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of all involved. May he rest in peace.
No, it was not an accident. His death was 100% preventable.
So, Kevin, was it on purpose? This WAS an accident. Most accidents are, in fact, 100% preventable.
The crash was not on purpose but letting him behind the wheel was. If he had not been allowed behind the wheel the crash would never had occured.
Almost every accident involves a chain of events where, if that chain had been broken beforehand, the accident wouldn’t have happened. But that doesn’t make it not an accident. I’m not sure why you seem so determined to announce to the world that you don’t understand the meaning of the commonly used word “accident,” but it seems like a rather odd urge to have and it serves no purpose. Oh well.
This accident seems especially tragic because it involves young people exercising very poor judgement in a car and it’s almost like a groundhog day scenario every spring with a spate of these, only the names change. Unfortunately, kids are too inexperienced at life and have such undeveloped judgment that they don’t realize that they have poor judgment so they sometimes do incredibly stupid and dangerous things and are then surprised at the easily foreseeable result. It’s always been this way and is really too bad but I only see it getting worse as kids try to grow up faster and faster and seem to think they are more worldly and grown up because of the shows they watch on TV and the feedback they get from their peers, but they are just young kids with very little life experience or judgment.
Kevin tends to say this about every car accident. Ive had my round with him before doesnt get anywhere with him! Its a friggin accident in more ways then one.. Good luck getting him to admit it is.
Well I am not one to run and hide from the truth. When a death is 100% preventable I will never call it an accident, ever.
ACCIDENTS HAPPEN when the laws are being obeyed and circumstances, over which no one has any control, occur and bad things happen. This was totally avoidable and those involved are who are responsible for the death of this person regardless of who was driving. Kids do stupid things because they are not old enough to consider the consequences or foresee the dangers. This is an example of immaturity in action.
Definition of ‘accident’
ac·ci·dent/ˈaksidənt/
Noun:An unfortunate incident that happens unexpectedly and unintentionally, typically resulting in damage or injury.A crash involving road or other vehicles, typically one that causes serious damage or injury.
Nowhere does it say preventable or unavoidable, just unexpectedly and unintentionally.
Unfortunately that definition would not help in a lawsuit against the person responsible for letting him behind the wheel.
There are a lot of things that are 100% preventable Judge Kevin, especially by those with hindsight.
Preventable yes, but there’s not too many people in this world that can say they are always safe and never do anything for a thrill, we were all young once and hope that we learn as we get older but unforunately this young man will never grow old. This was an ACCIDENT, nothing anyone ever wanted to happen purely an accident.
Kevin, the only way to prevent something like that is to chain your 14-year-old to the house and not let them out of it. These are young people and many are suffering as a result of their decisions (I’m stressing the fact that they are YOUNG). I guess you were perfect growing up?
Not all of us need to chain our 14 year old sons to the house to have them not do something that is clearly illegal and unsound. I’m the first to defend a parent who doesn’t have 20/20 hindsight and experiences such a tragedy, but the lack of sense of everyone involved shows something major lacking. I hope that I have raised my children to be responsible and trustworthy enough not to do something so incredibly stupid.
I feel terrible for the parents of this boy and for the other teens in the car. They will feel crushing guilt for the rest of their lives for their part in this horrible event.
Katherine, respectfully, how old are your kids? I’m guessing not into their teens yet, because no matter how well they’re raised, once they hit those years, they all–ALL!–do dumb things sooner or later that you’d never, ever expect them to do.
Katherine, kids are kids!!!!! It’s not an excuse, it’s an explanation. This is such a tragedy and comments like yours are not helpful. I will ask you what I’ve asked every other person who thinks that their kids would never do such a thing; what makes you different or special?
you got any kids?
What a tragedy. My heartfelt sympathy to not only the young boy’s family and friends, but to all involved. It must have been a horrific scene for the other teens in the car, and I am sure that the young man who allowed his friend to take a turn at the wheel must be beside himself with regret and sorrow.
If not for the Grace of God, there go I…. teenagers feel like they are invincible and I remember that well. I can say that back in the day, many of us would do such things without realizing the danger. I am so sorry for the families and friends who are in agony as a result of this accident. God Bless.
The teenager that let him drive should be charged with manslaughter. This child’s death was 100% avoidable and was not an accident. A preventable death is not an accident.
Edit: I wonder if when I get home late tonight this comment will still be around. I will find out later.
Kevin, I agree completely. Trainers and emergency personnel no longer use the term accident, but instead now use the terminolgy, “crash” because the term “accident” implies that nothing could have prevented it. No one was at fault. I am so sorry this has happened, but it was not an accident, but a preventable incident where people made poor choices, including that poor deceased boy.
It was a teenager! Do you remember being a teen? This is a tragedy that does not need to be compounded. My senior year in high school, right around Christmas, a classmate died as the result of a car accident (he was a passenger and everyone in the car had been drinking). His mother and family chose to embrace the young man who was driving because they knew it was not intentional by any means; it was kids being kids and it went really wrong. RIP MB We all still miss you much :)
Kids being kids might be an excuse on The Simpsons but in real life it is not.
I don’t watch the Simpsons. How did you behave when you were a teenager? Fortunately, things are a lot better now than they were when I was growing up in the 80s, as far as education about dangerous behavior, but Mother Nature is still in charge of how minds develop and kids are still kids!!! My parents were incredibly strict but I still dared to take a joyride in my dad’s car when they were at my brother’s soccer game. He always had brand new Crown Vics… trust me, I would have paid dearly for that had I been caught, but it was still worth the risk because I was a teenager and it was something I really wanted to do.
Kevin’s perfect world only exists in a vacuum. I pulled some of the stupidest stunts in the world when I was a teen and it’s only by God’s grace that I’m still here. Now, at over 50 years old, I’m extremely safe and cautious in everything I do. The process is called growing up. Sadly, some basically good kids don’t make it there.
So an invisible man in the sky is the only reason you are alive today?
Affirmative. By the way, extremely well thought out rebuttal.
So by your thinking teenage kids should do whatever they desire because it is up to a God that decides when they are going to die. Not their actions but a God? Is that correct?
First, stop trying to think in a vacuum. Think in reality. As parents, and adults that have influence in our kids lives, we need to try to raise them to make good decisions, BUT, they are kids, and they are more prone to making poor decisions. Not all kids, but kids in general. I have no idea how old you are, but I’ll assume that you’re not in your teens. Did you make some poor decisions when you were in your teens that you wouldn’t make now? As far as God goes, I will not debate who He is.
You are telling me to think in reality but you believe in fairytales. That is amusing.
Look up human brain development, and then reread your own posts please.
I’m well aware that a male brain does not fully develop until around the age of 25 but that doesn’t mean teenagers cannot say no. I said no to my friends many times because I refused to do truly stupid things which I knew could result in serious injury or death.
Being a teenager is not an excuse for exercising poor judgment. Your teenage years may be a time for testing boundaries, but not for breaking all the rules and doing stupid things so that everyone can say “well, that’s okay because you’re young and stupid.” The only way that principle works is if you wish to live in a society that believes in survival of the fittest and is willing to accept the fact that the weaker, more immature, and less intelligent portion of every group of teens is destined to off themselves each year. Otherwise, it is every parent’s responsibililty to raise each and every child with good values and good judgement or FULLY supervise their kids until they mature to the point where they can handle themselves. For some, that might be until their early teens. For others, that might be into their forties. We all know some that don’t grow up, right?
Invinsible in the term used to explain the “thought process” of a teenager. Supervision or not.
Were you ever a teenager? Are you suggesting that some people need to be fully supervised until they are in their 40s? What does fully supervised mean to you? You sound more immature and unwordly than many of the teens I know… and they have all been raised with good values, but sometimes teens don’t always make good decisions because they are YOUNG and have much to learn…. the young man who let the other one take the wheel did not intend for things to turn out that way; it’s heartbreaking for all involved.
You strike me as somebody that does not have children (probably not a bad thing–why breed ignorance ); if you do, I doubt they have gone through the teenage years yet.
It’s a tragic situation all the way around. For somebody to NOT GET that bad things happen in life despite best efforts of parents to educate their kids as far as the dangers that life brings, is ridiculous. Are you implying that any of the parents who are suffering with grief and pain right now were not educating and supervising their kids closely enough? Give me a break.
I’d love to hear about your adventures or lack of them as a teenager…. you must have been the lonely one with no friends if you had no adventures.
And you sound just incredibly mature, throwing insults at an unknown stranger for expressing an opinion that disagrees with yours. I think it’s a shame you believe children should believe in responsibility. It says something about your generation and the one you are presumably raising.
I DO get that bad things happen in life; I also understand that children mature at different rates and require supervision according to their level of maturity. I’m not implying that this or similar incidents of poor judgment are the necessarily the fault of the parents, just that perhaps children raised with more thoughtfulness, who truly understand the consequences of their actions, would have thought twice before acting so recklessly.
You said to me: I think it’s a shame you believe children should believe in responsibility.
What??? That makes no sense, maybe you left a word out. I don’t know.
That said, do you understand that that kids of that age could tempted to go for a joyride? It’s the ultimate adult experience (driving) and something that, if it’s right there, might happen. It’s been happening forever.
You also said: Perhaps children raised with more thoughtfulness, who truly understand the consequences of their actions, would have thought twice before acting so recklessly
What???
You have no clue how much thoughfulness these young people were raised with. I am sure they have been loved, educated, and taken care of by parents who are grieving now.
BTW, I am 45 and my daughters are 24, 20 and 14. Don’t assume what my generation is.
I agree with much of what you say about personal responsibility, and these kids obviously knew better but took the risk anyhow. But no matter how good the upbringing is, teens are impulsive, think they are invulnerable, and use poor judgement at times. (Look at the way Richy Rich Mitt Romney acted in high school.) This is exactly why we have licensing laws, drinking age laws, etc. While parents do have a very heavy burden, they can not watch their children 24/7 nor should they be expected to. At some point, as we ALL did, these kids have to go out and learn the lessons of life and that means taking some knocks and consequences when they make mistakes. Hopefully they will learn from the mistakes as we all should. Sadly, this was the harshest of lessons. Hopefully many others will learn from it.
I start driving standard shift at the age 11 and by the time I was 14 I had at least 10,000 miles under my belt. we were allowed to drive on private roads back then and thats how most kids learned to drive. thousands of miles of woods roads were the best teachers..
It was an accident Kevin… The space shuttle explosion could have be prevented if they didn’t fly that day and yet concidered an accident.
My ex was driving tractor trailer trucks at age 14 down the highway while his dad slept in the passenger seat. They owned a moving company and traveled long distances for clients. The ex was very well trained before he was old enough to drive. He’s held a Class A CDL since he was old enough to have a regular license (1975) at age 15. He’s 51 now and there isn’t anything on wheels or tracks he hasn’t driven. He’s the best driver I have ever met, and I have to give him that credit even though he is my ex.
How can you even make an attempt to compare the space shuttle explosion to this?
That was then and this is now. Time to get out of the dark ages. 14 years olds driving cars, let alone 11 year olds? That is ridiculous. Way back in the day on back roads and farms if parents or other adults were spending a lot of time with younger people showing them how to drive in those areas, carefully and well supervised that may have been one thing, and even still, dangerous enough. But this was teenagers joy-riding recklessly and not the same kind of thing at all. You really do need to get out of the dark ages, on this and many other issues. It is a different world today with different vehicles, different settings, different mentalities and behavioral dynamics, and cultural differences. Time to enter the 21st century.
There was not an 11-year-old involved.
Teenagers going on joyrides goes back beyond the horse and buggy days. It definitely is the same kind of thing! While it is a changing world for each generation, some things remain the same; big one being that teenagers, by nature, are going to take risks.
To be so sanctimonious tells me maybe you were one of those teens that had no friends, and therefore did not have the typical experience, much of which is rebellion in one shape or form.
My heart aches for all involved, especially with some of these needless, cruel comments people are posting.
No, I don’t think the BDN will delete it. Whether one disagrees or not, it’s still fair comment.
Did you ever drive as a teenager before you had a license or learner’s permit?
Nope because there was not a need to do so and nor did I ever desire too.
I don’t see the words unavoidable or preventable
ac·ci·dent/ˈaksidənt/
Noun:An unfortunate incident that happens unexpectedly and unintentionally, typically resulting in damage or injury.A crash involving road or other vehicles, typically one that causes serious damage or injury.
I don’t agree that the teen who let him drive should be charged, but I would recommend suspending his license at least 6 months.
Unfortunately, I remember as a teen, my mother would tell me not to drive unless everyone had their seatbelts on or else I could be charged with manslaughter. I don’t think I enforced it, but it did remind me to think about my friends’ families and how it would affect them if an accident happened.
Which is what this was. An accident. A preventable death can be an accident. Like, say, falling down the stairs. It can happen a hundred times before you’re really in trouble, but the 101st time…
My heart and thoughts are with those affected by this tragic event.
This is a very sad thing. I do however feel the one that let this boy drive should lose there license for many years. Yes he has to deal with the pain of knowing he was responsible, But think what the family of the boy who lost his life has to deal with. There are laws for a reason and the one that allowed him to break the law really needs to have to realize it. When they llowed this 14 year old to get behind the wheel of that vehicle knowing he did not have a license or that he was not reponsible, that is not an accident it is an accident waiting to happen. Someone said something about what did you do as a teen. Well as a teen I never would have got behind the wheel of a vehicle and if I had I would have got my butt kicked. My heart goes out to the families involed and the boys involved but please don’t just think they have learned there lesson because I have seen it and trust me they will probably do the same thing later on down the road
As I often do, I agree with most everything you said. Falling down the stairs, though, is preventable if you’re watching where you walk (I sat on a jury for a lawsuit where someone didn’t watch). A child who falls or spills their milk is an accident because of their age, but a 14 year old is one year past what many cultures call the ‘age of reckoning’ (bar-mitzvah) and should at least have been belted. After that age, there are no real accidents in the true definition of the word. I flipped over a Beetle at age 15 and called it an accident. Dad took one look at the dirt road scene and yelled “No it wasn’t! You were going too damned fast! Don’t blame anything but yourself. Get it home and fix it before you drive anything again! I made sure called it an incident after that. :-)
It is still most definitely a shame, no matter the labeling. :-(
They were all children who do not have enough life experiences, do not make safe choices because they have not lived long enough or experienced enough to forsee consequences. I have a feeling this young man will not need a court of law to punish him. What a tragedy for all.
an 18 year old is not a child
There were no 18 years olds involved. Regardless, how incredibly sad.
this young man will punish himself without the law getting involved…………..tragic!!!
And do you feel that way because of his age?
Dear God Bless the families of all involved, comfort their souls and look after them, thank you, Amen.
Sad story. I can’t hope to know what this boy’s family or friends are going through right now. May God send them comfort in their time of such sorrow.
A sad thing indeed.
The young do not always do as they are told. This is a universal fact. We can only try to show them the right path and hope that they survive long enough to obtain maturity. To criticize others for pointing out this simple fact is and of itself another example of immaturity. By teaching our young that they are not responsible for their actions or making excuses for them is not in the best interest of any youth. The end result, sadly, is that someone pays the ultimate price for a thoughtless act. All knowledge is learned as a result of making mistakes. We caution our youth not to make the same mistakes we made because we were lucky we were not killed and we hope that they might learn from our experiences. Sadly, those who will not learn are doomed to making the same mistakes. Sometimes with tragic results.
It only takes one ‘momentary lapse of reason’ and it’s all over. Life is frail!! Many of us have made an error in judgement that could have resulted in disaster but we lucked out, Hopefully we can all learn from this incident.
Such a tragedy.
Will everyone just stop arguing about if it was an accident? Either way the outcome was the same, and the young man who relinquished the wheel will have to live with this for the rest of his life.
For the record, I do have an opinion about if it was an accident, but there is no reason to go into that here.
Oh, and I guess by writing this I am a “kid being a kid”. I’m seventeen.
Thank you crissy30 I could not have expressed my thoughts any better.
jesus said he with out sin cast the first stone kevin shut up my prayers to the families and especially the young boy’s family
14, 15, 16,17 years old….car full of teenage boys in most cases leads to trouble…feel sorry for all families involved….hopefully we will learn someday…
All humans make mistakes. Teens tend to make more mistakes because they have less life experience and are still learning. It is unfortunate that the series of mistakes in this particular case had such a tragic result. Regardless of how well a child is raised, they will still make mistakes and do something at some point to earn their parents’ disapproval…even though they know better. At some point around the age of 30, most people can admit that their parents really did know what they were talking about. My heart goes out to the individuals and families involved.
Well said.
I would like to extend heartfelt condolences to the families and friends affected by this tragedy. I would also ask that this not be used as a site to argue about the meaning of a word-put yourself in the shoes of the grieving families,and respect their feelings,please…