BELGRADE, Maine — An Oakland woman was killed instantly in a high-speed car crash late Saturday night that left two other people in the hospital, one with life-threatening injuries.
Police said the woman’s brother, who fled the scene and reportedly wasn’t badly injured, was at the wheel.
Kristin Lawler, 20, was in the front passenger seat of the 2011 Toyota Corolla driven by Travis Lawler, 22. He is from Oakland but now is serving in the U.S. Marine Corps and is based in North Carolina, Maine State Police Spokesman Stephen McCausland said Sunday afternoon.
Travis Lawler was driving on Horse Point Road in Belgrade at a little before 11 p.m. when he went off the road on a curve and struck a large tree.
Police received a call that there was a crash with victims trapped inside and sent a crew to help extricate them.
Jackson Bolduc, 25, of Belgrade, was in the back seat and suffered life-threatening injuries, McCausland said. He was initially taken to the MaineGeneral Medical Center’s Thayer Campus in Waterville for treatment but then was flown to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor by LifeFlight.
Dillon Desroches, 20, no hometown given, also was in the backseat. He suffered serious injuries and was flown by LifeFlight helicopter to Lewiston for treatment.
Travis Lawler had fled the scene when police arrived, McCausland said, but he was located by Maine State Troopers a short time later.
“Excessive speed and alcohol are going to be the causes of this crash,” McCausland said. “At this point, there is nothing indicating that there have been charges filed.”
The crash remains under investigation, he said.
Crews from the Belgrade Fire Department and Delta Ambulance assisted at the scene, along with about six troopers, he said.
Kristin Lawler graduated from Messalonskee High School in 2010, according to her Facebook page.
What the hell is going on with leaving the dead and fleeing the scene of horrific injuries lately?? Poor poor families….Cowardly acts.
I’m sure being drunk had something to do with that.
More likely being a tool had something to do with it.
That fact that someone died and others seriously injured is awful. But, knowing that he was driving and that he could have prevented this is just unimaginable.
Imagine the life he’ll live knowing he killed his sister. He may or may not decide to live with it.
Doubt he honestly cares. He ran off and left her there did he not?
YES!!! he cares! he HAS to
didnt he leave the scene to go get help?
From the USMC website:
“Honor, courage and commitment are the values that guide us—Semper Fidelis is the motto that bonds us. To guard our nation is to guard its principles, becoming not only an elite warrior, but also a noble one.”
This young man has none of those things, to leave his sister in that car. Throw the book at him, regardless of his service.
It’s just as cowardly an act as a hit and run.
I think it is more cowardly, he ran off and left his own sister dying or dead.
The USMC will throw the book at him and they wont miss
Condolences to the loved ones of this young woman.
Fingers crossed that the injured men make it.
Make that soon to be FORMER U.S. Marine Travis Lawler.
The guy obviously had issues.. He posted on his facebook page friday that he was re enlisting cause he was sick of maine and never comming back.. News flash buddy you aint leaveing.. What a dirt bag running with his sister in the front seat tragically wounded. Not to mention his friends in the back
He shamed his family in addition to tearing it apart.
You know his name, not his life story. You’ve heard what he’s done, not what he’s been through.
His life story will be He KILLED his sister. Hearing ab0ut anything else will only be making excuses for his tragic choice
does it matter at tjis point in his life? apparently not to him, so why should it matter to us?
NOTHING he’s been through excuses his actions!
before ‘assuming’… we need to learn the facts..quite possibly the driver left the scene to go get help at the nearest house,… thats what I heard anyway…
I could care less if he ran to the nearest house to get help. He was speeding and drinking and those are two choices he made on his own. If he done neither of those two things he wouldn’t have had to flee the scene to seek help.
I was responding to all the comments about him being a coward for leaving the scene.. not in anyway saying that drinking and driving was OK- He was so wrong and his sister and friend have paid the ultimate price as well as effecting all the people that knew and loved them.
And he is a coward. He had the audacity to call himself a Marine.
Well said.
He left the scene and went into a strangers property and was trying to steal their boat. They called the police, who came and apprehended him.
As a mother I cannot tell whether it would eat me up more to know my child had died or that my other child had caused it and left them behind. What a terrible tragedy for the whole family to bear.
Please don’t talk about Travis that way. He is a great person. His sister just passed away and he was scared. I don’t agree with drunk driving either, but show some respect. He just lost someone he was so close to. You don’t even know how you would react regardless of your background training. Could you imagine loosing your sister in a crash and just everything you knew and everything you learned about reaction just flies out the window? I feel for him just for the mere fact that he has to think about this for the rest of his life. It was stupid and very irresponsible but in times like this, we need comfort. He is more than what you read in the paper. He made a mistake he will never be able to ever take back. I feel sorry for him and everyone I know involved.
Your right with all that as well….
Unfortunately, his sister did not just pass away she was killed by him. He may have been worthy of the designation, “great person,” in the past, however, at present time that distinction can be dismissed. If he was under the influence of alcohol and was traveling at an excessive speed as purported, his actions merit no sympathy from me nor anyone else for that matter. I sincerely hope that severe criminal punishment is meted out against this individual. Furthermore, I hope that the other passengers in the vehicle survive this motor vehicle crash and submit my sympathy to the victims families.
You say he made a mistake? No he didn’t, he made 4.
1. Driving Drunk
2. Driving very fast.
3. Driving very fast with friends and family in the car.
4. Leaving his dead sister to fend for herself.
I couldn’t imagine losing my sibling in a crash. But it would be a whole different ballgame if he died in a crash because I was drunk and crashed my car into a tree at a high rate of speed…
you sound as if you were talking about a child,,,, he is an adult. Not a man, that is shown by his actions, but an adult.. he left his sister to die alone, plus other seriously injured people. I feel sorry for his family, not for him. It is in situations like this one, where peoples true colors show. He was “scared” of getting caught.
To the average person, this is a very horrific situation one should never have to be a part of. The average person would jusifiably panic and flee for a short period.
However, this man has elite training, where in an incident of ultimate fear and sorrow, he should keep a clear head and lead his brothers through whatever situation they are in. This man made a very very bad judgement call, and worse he couldn’t keep his head on strait. He is undeserving of having another shot at fighting for our country
The whole situation is sad, however, your point of view is not right given the circumstances. His sister didn’t “pass”, she was killed…he didn’t “lose” someone he was close to, he killed her. He made the decision to drink, he made the decision to get in the driver’s seat and he made to decision to not only drive himself, but his sister and friends. Everything that happened is a direct consequence of his choices and this could have been avoided. Even after the accident he was given the choice to stay and help his friends or leave. I personally don’t care if he is “more than what is in the paper.” These actions are enough to trump anything else.
Wow, it doesn’t get any lower than this. It may sound harsh to some but I’ll never understand why the culprit always lives and comes out unscathed. Happens all the time!
Drunk drivers tend to suffer less injuries because their bodies are very relaxed. They don’t tense up at the moment of impact. They bounce around like a rag doll and instead of absoring the kinetic energy it flows through them.
Yes I heard that before….
If you slammed into a brick wall at, say, 50 mph, I suspect it would not matter a bit whether your body was relaxed or tense at the moment of impact.
And what does that have to do with the fact that drunk drivers tend to live because they are relaxed?
I was using what is called “an analogy.”
Being inside a car that is going, say 50 mph and strikes another object (a car, a tree, a brick wall) is very similar to your body striking a brick wall on its own.
Mitigating factors (factors that could reduce the potential damage to your body) in a motor vehicle collision include whether or not you are a restrained passenger (wearing a seatbelt); whether or not an airbag deployed; and the amount of force that the car you were in absorbs by its construction (for example, the way the front end crumples can either transmit the impact directly to you or reduce it).
Whether your body is physically relaxed or tense in a crash would likely have zero effect in a 50 mph collision. It would not be a mitigating factor. It would not reduce the damage to your body.
Nobody is condemning the Corps, bunyan1. The driver’s occupation is public information. I get that you respect the Corps, but you’re being more than a little hysterical here. This is a civilian matter. The local and state authorities have jurisdiction, and must handle this.
And the carnage continues…
So very true
It’s a sad enough story without all of the nasty comments posted here. I challenge all of you judgemental, insensitive folks to post under your full names.
Oh please!
This tragedy has now claimed the lives of two people. My nephew, Jackson Bolduc has died of his injuries. May he and Kristin rest in peace. Jackson was a wonderful person, a hard-working, easy going, young man who treasured his family and life in general. Jackson is loved by many. He will be deeply missed.
I have confidence that the Maine State Police will conduct a thorough investigation and more details will clearly emerge in time. But no matter the details, it doesn’t change the fact that Jack and Kristin are dead and that is irreversable.
oaklandnative: I’m very sorry for your loss.
I am so terribly sorry for your loss. Love and light to you and your family.
After reading some of the comments. I must say there are many many sick people who would write a nasty coments likes these. You all are so brave with your talk until some day is may happen to you .I would like to see your own reaction them. I bet is will not be pretty either. So some of you, grow up and sart to use some common sense when writing. A little history his grandfather was killed on the same corner but going the other direction. So think about his grandmother, mother and sister before the nasty comments.
In reference to my earlier comment on grandfather it was Jackson’s Grandfather that was killed on the same corner
I have seen some nasty ones on here and they are not being removed. If you see any pleasae hit the flag button the left side and they will get moderate attention and get moved if they deem that is necesarry. Rest in peace Kristen you will be missed
This makes me think you are trying to say this is a dangerous corner… but in this particular instance the driver was drunk. Was the grandfather drunk as well or…?
I personally feel bad for the families involved… this is a pretty horrible tragedy. And I also feels this serves as a severe reminder of why we do not get in the car of someone who has been drinking. This was so avoidable, it really makes the tragedy even worse.
The only person I really don’t feel much sympathy towards is the driver. And frankly if I were in his shoes I wouldn’t expect any sympathy either. One family just lost a child at the hands of another, I can’t even being to imagine how they are going to get through this.
Shane Lawler My
sisters loving boyfriend whom she loved back with all of her heart was
lost in the accident aswell. My broken heart goes out to the entire
Bolduc family.17 minutes ago
good career move Travis.
Error
As I read the comments and article again I can’t help but think to myself
What if this story turns out like the accident on broadway and a whole bunch of preliminary mis-information gets a lot of people up in arms.
Think there will be any recourse for BDN? Nahhh