BELFAST, Maine — Police said that a Michigan woman injured Monday afternoon in a motorcycle-bicycle crash on Route 1 in Belfast was listed Tuesday morning in critical but stable condition at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor.
Susan Mathiau, 55, of St. Joseph, Mich., was riding behind her husband on their motorcycle when the crash occurred. She was initially taken to Waldo County General Hospital in Belfast but then was taken to Bangor by LifeFlight helicopter, according to Chief Michael McFadden of the Belfast Police Department.
Her husband, John Mathiau, 57, was in stable condition at the Belfast hospital Monday afternoon but was not listed as a patient there on Tuesday, according to a hospital official.
McFadden said police are not releasing the name of the 14-year-old girl from Belfast who was riding the bicycle because she is a minor. However, he said that she had received medical treatment for bumps, bruises and scrapes but was doing okay.
“She was very, very lucky,” he said.
The accident happened at about 1:30 p.m. Monday when the girl on the bicycle evidently began to make a left-hand turn from Route 1 onto Congress Street. According to police at the scene, witnesses saw her pull in front of the motorcycle.
John Mathiau, who was traveling in the same direction on Route 1, braked and unsuccessfully tried to avoid striking the bicycle, McFadden said, although he did manage to avoid directly hitting the girl. After the impact with the bicycle, Mathiau apparently lost control and crashed the motorcycle. Both he and his wife were wearing helmets.
McFadden said that the couple had been in Maine to attend a family reunion and has family in the area.