HAMPDEN, Maine — A collision between a tractor-trailer and a motorcycle Tuesday afternoon claimed the life of a Winterport man.
The deceased motorcyclist was identified as Malcolm Lane, 47, Hampden police Sgt. Scott Webber said early Thursday evening. An autopsy will be performed to determine if a medical condition could have been a factor, he said.
Lane died immediately after the crash, which happened at about 2:40 p.m. on Monroe Road, according to Hampden police Sgt. Chris Bailey, who is leading the investigation.
Bailey said that Lane, for a reason that has yet to be determined, crossed the center line and struck the big rig head-on.
Though police found a motorcycle helmet at the accident scene, it was not immediately clear if Lane was wearing it when the crash occurred, Bailey said. He said Lane was operating a Harley-Davidson.
The truck driver, who is employed by Gardner Construction Enterprises of Bangor, was identified as Daniel Dunfield, 59, of Bangor, Webber said Thursday evening. Dunfield was not injured.
Randy Gardner, owner of of the construction company, went to the accident scene Tuesday afternoon. He said Dunfield has 36 years of driving experience and was on his way to pick up a load of gravel when the crash occurred.
According to Gardner, Dunfield is a seasoned driver. He had driven more than 2 million miles without an accident before encountering his first one on Tuesday.
It appeared at the scene that Dunfield, who was headed south, attempted to avoid colliding with the the motorcycle. The tractor-trailer he was driving came to a stop at the extreme outer edge of his traveling lane.
Gardner confirmed Tuesday that the fatal crash in Hampden was the second in just two weeks involving companies within his family. The first one happened on May 25 on Union Street in Bangor.
In that crash, a Glenburn school teacher died after her car, which she had just driven out of her driveway, was struck by a truck from Hopkins Landscaping, which is owned by Gardner’s son-in-law.
Tuesday afternoon’s crash occurred about two miles from the junction with Kennebec Road. Monroe Road was closed for several hours as the accident reconstruction team from the Bangor Police Department investigated the collision, Bailey said.
Webber said the road was reopened shortly before 7 p.m.
Investigators with the Maine State Police commercial vehicle division and officials from the state Department of Environmental Protection also were at the scene of the crash.
BDN reporter Nok-Noi Ricker contributed to this story.
My condolonces to the family, and the driver of the truck.
Condolences to the friends and family.
Tragic.
Bike vs Big Rig crashes can be devastating.
Helmet or “loud pipes” probably wouldnt have helped , this time.
I love to ride , but its getting scary these days.
Best to family.
Oh, crap! What a mismatch.
And seriously, I feel so bad for the friends and family for this! So sad..
awful
Really people? I have family in that area that ride motorcycles, I don’t want to see something like this in the paper until families have been notified. My condolences to the family but why can’t you wait until you really have something to report?
I have a son in the area that rides a motorcycle as well…first thing I did was call him to make sure he’s ok and he is. I had a knot in my chest until I knew he was safe.
Glad to hear that he is OK.
Thanks…I feel terrible for the family of the motorcyclist.
Many articles state that the deceased’s name will be released pending family notification so I see what you are saying but it is possible they meant the motorcyclist had not been identified to outside sources. I am hoping that is the case as I agree with your stand-point. Then again, I’m the type to catch ridicule for saying [very] graphic pictures should not be published either…
I ride my own bike in that area (I ride that road on my way to Bangor). That’s a good road, wide, smooth, plenty of room. Tragic. My thoughts are with the families of both drivers.
Condolences to the family of the biker. To the truck driver, I wish you well. You were in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The guy on the bike LEFT his lane crossed into the path of the truck and still someone has to make a comment about he truck driver! He was not in the wrong place at all he was in his lane going the correct direction. The guy on the bike was in the WRONG lane headed the WRONG way meaning he was the one in the wrong place!
My take on his comment was that it was to bad he was there, not because he (truck driver) was the cause of the accident, but because he (truck driver) now will also have some emotional trauma just from being involved, of having to live having seen what he saw, just having been involved. I don’t think any ill intent was involved.
My sympathies to all the families involved… I hope they all find healing soon…
Talk about poor taste.
How many times have you been run over
while on a motorcycle, junior?
I hope for your sake it never happens to you.
Ride to live, Live to ride.
I cringe when I read this. I ride a motorcycle and just can’t imagine. No match with any other vehicle on the road, especially a big rig. My condolences to the family of the biker and to the driver of the truck. Even though it was not your fault, I can’t imagine what pain you are dealing with right now. Very sad to read this story.
RIP Macky and my thoughts and prayers are with your family.
peace ….to both family’s.
Very sorry to read this. Echoing the sentiments of others, I send my condolences to his family and loved ones.
I hate reading about motorcycle accidents.. My fiancé rides a HD and he’s already had one accident on it. He only ended up with a few scratches and tears in his jacket, thank God. My thoughts and prayers are with the families, coworkers, and friends of everyone involved. On a second note, did anyone from BDN bother to proofread this article before submitting it? Lots of errors…
Cause we all know that kids are bullet proof !
A little fear might allow you to BECOME a old man!!!
A healthy dose of fear shows maturity and keeps you on your toes – something all motorcycle riders should embrace – especially when you consider the number of automobile drivers who still show very little respect for motorcycles. So yeah, a little fear is a good thing.
The day I get on a motorcycle and have no sense of fear (not sure that’s the right word..just a need to be overly cautious and more alert than ever?), will be the day that I will sell my bike and never get on it again. You can’t let your guard down for a moment mainly, as you say, because of the other automobile drivers who show no respect for motorcycles.
Please realize that there are also motorcyclists who do not respect other drivers. I was coming home from work last summer when a man and woman on Harleys passed me on both sides of the car and then weaved back and forth in traffic in front of me as if threading a maypole with ribbon. It was frightening. It isn’t just cars, but all drivers should respect themselves and others enough to drive/ride responsibly. No offense intended, only caution.
That is absolutely true. You make a good point. Motorcycle riders who pull stunts like the one you described are nothing short of stupid and careless.
Condolences to the family of the deceased…. Also thoughts to the driver of the truck; I can’t imagine your own sense of grief and loss you are going through at this time.
A prayer for the truck driver and the family of the biker. YOU CAN’T BE SERIOUS…..another head on collision and they can’t determine why he crossed the center line. I am not being rude just factual…..Maine drivers MUST be taught to drive incorrectly. EVERY SINGLE DAY, I see…..among “regular” drivers…… as well as supposedly “defensively trained” policemen, school bus drivers, ambulances, ect……driving on that center line, NOT in the center of their lane……it’s horrifying! You can tell they have NO CLUE where the right side of their car is on the road, they are guided by the driver’s side of the car….on that center line. I have never seen so many head on accidents as I have seen up here. I am dead serious….I should open up a driving school up here, and you would actually see the accident rate decline. Yes….accidents are accidents, but some can be avoided.
We get your point, but seriously have some respect for the families involved and keep your rants to yourself.
A prayer for the truck driver and the family of the biker. YOU CAN’T BE SERIOUS…..another head on collision and they can’t determine why he crossed the center line. I am not being rude just factual…..Maine drivers MUST be taught to drive incorrectly. EVERY SINGLE DAY, I see…..among “regular” drivers…… as well as supposedly “defensively trained” policemen, school bus drivers, ambulances, ect……driving on that center line, NOT in the center of their lane……it’s horrifying! You can tell they have NO CLUE where the right side of their car is on the road, they are guided by the driver’s side of the car….on that center line. I have never seen so many head on accidents as I have seen up here. I am dead serious….I should open up a driving school up here, and you would actually see the accident rate decline. Yes….accidents are accidents, but some can be avoided.
A prayer for the truck driver and the family of the biker. YOU CAN’T BE SERIOUS…..another head on collision and they can’t determine why he crossed the center line. I am not being rude just factual…..Maine drivers MUST be taught to drive incorrectly. EVERY SINGLE DAY, I see…..among “regular” drivers…… as well as supposedly “defensively trained” policemen, school bus drivers, ambulances, ect……driving on that center line, NOT in the center of their lane……it’s horrifying! You can tell they have NO CLUE where the right side of their car is on the road, they are guided by the driver’s side of the car….on that center line. I have never seen so many head on accidents as I have seen up here. I am dead serious….I should open up a driving school up here, and you would actually see the accident rate decline. Yes….accidents are accidents, but some can be avoided.
Bad thing is , The Poor Guy Daniel , Has to live mith something he had NO Control Over !!! But Also My Condolences to the family for there loss at such an early age !!!
Also…..I am sorry to say, motorcycles……driving on or right next to that center line.
There’s actually a pretty good reason for doing that, in some circumstances…for example, if it’s the only way to see what the oncoming road is like (hilly? windy?) or what the traffic is like (lots? bumper-to-bumper? If I want to pass, is it safe?) Maybe not the best place to ride long-term, but, sometimes, frankly, we need to see further down the road to see what’s ahead.
PS…when I say this, I mean, the biker riding in the same groove as the auto-drivers drivers-side-tire is in…not ON the line…
The fact that the BDN brought up this being the second fatal accident within a short amount of time for thie owners family is ridiculous! There is nothing to suggest this accident was the truck drivers fault. It seems he did what he could to avoid the accident and that the motorcycle hit him. Seems like trying to sensationalize an accident for ratings, shame on you BDN. My condolences to both families!
Very sad for all involved. I’ll be very honest though, certain people on motorcycles make me extremely nervous. These are the type that sit about six inches off your rear bumper, gun the engine and shoot out several inches from the side of your car to get up on the next vehicle to do it all over again. Motorcyclists always complain that we car drivers aren’t willing to share the road…we are…but some motorcyclists need to slow it down before they become another statistic.
I agree, we (motorcyclists) do sometimes do that…some do, I mean…but we know, among our own groups, who those people are…and some of us simply refuse to ride with those who do that. Most bikers are relatively safe, relatively cautious riders, because we know our lives depend on it.
Motorcyclists have five times as many fatalities per hundred thousand as autos. Although many of them are the fault of trucks & cars motorcyclists still are the ones to suffer the consequences. There are several methods that would help motorcyclists: better flags, perhaps flickering lights that are more apparent to autos/trucks; fluorescent or brighter clothing, etc. Defensive driving is needed. Most people on bicycles or motorcycles assume that auto/truck drivers are behaving rationally. They’re not! Many are inattentive because they’re on a cell phone, or listening to the radio, or thinking of something else, or their attention is being diverted, etc etc DRIVING DEFENSIVELY WITH BRIGHT LIGHTS & CLOTHING WOULD BE A GOOD START TO REDUCING FATALITIES!
You know what they say…there are two kinds of riders…those that have crashed, and those that will…
Agree completely.
A fellow rider with 70,000 so-far safe miles…