BELFAST, Maine — Police are continuing to investigate last week’s fatal Route 1A crash in Prospect that took the life of a John Bapst Memorial High School junior.
Owen Krause, 16, of Stockton Springs had been driving to school at about 7 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 19, when his sedan veered suddenly into the opposite lane and into the path of an oncoming dump truck.
He died at the scene, police said. The truck driver, Thomas Drew of Winterport, was treated at Waldo County General Hospital in Belfast and released.
Chief Deputy Jeff Trafton of the Waldo County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday morning that police are following routine procedure in the investigation, which includes looking into the teen’s cell phone use history. Police are waiting for the cell phone company to share the records.
According to Trafton, police now routinely are doing this in fatal accidents, accidents with serious personal injury, and even some accidents that caused only property damage.
“This is standard operating procedure,” he said. “It’s become very routine.”
Police officials also expect to speak with some students at John Bapst Memorial High School next week, he said.
Sad,just plain sad.
I don’t mean to minimize the devastation this accident has wrought, or to imply any blame in any direction. But, the article mentioned it has become routine to review drivers’ cell phone records after most collisions. Please, parents, tell your kids over and over not to use their phones while driving. And, kids, pull over safely if you need to use the phone.