HERMON, Maine — A Levant woman was killed and her daughter was injured late Thanksgiving evening when their pickup truck lost control on Route 222 just west of Bangor, police said.
Retha Thomas, 50, and her daughter, Brooke Thomas-Soper, 18, were heading into Bangor for Black Friday shopping when the accident occurred just before midnight, according to Chief Deputy Troy Morton of the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office.
Morton said the mother and daughter had recently moved to Levant from the Hancock County town of Penobscot.
Thomas was driving on Union Street about a mile east of the Billings Road intersection when her truck hit a patch of black ice, slid off the opposite side of the roadway and flipped over, according to Morton.
She was ejected from the truck, which landed on top of her, Morton said, and Thomas-Soper had to be extricated by medical personnel. Neither mother nor daughter was wearing a seat belt.
Thomas was pronounced dead at the scene, while her daughter was transported to Eastern Maine Medical Center for treatment. Morton said she has since been discharged.
It’s unclear whether Thomas would have survived had she been wearing her seat belt, Morton said.
“I would say it’s certainly a factor in why she was ejected out of the vehicle,” Morton said.
Foggy conditions and black ice were also factors in the accident, Morton said. Route 222 was shut down for a couple of hours in both directions while rescue personnel cleaned up the scene, he added.
So sorry to the family of the deceased. Speedy recovery to the lady that was injured.
Oh wow, what a tragedy. And right before the holidays. Wear your seatbelts, people!!!
This is a terrible tragedy and my heart truly goes out to the families of these two women. I have to take exception to your comment of wearing a seatbelt though. One of the women was thrown from the car and walked away from it with non-life threatening injuries. One has to wonder if she had been wearing it, if she wouldnt have also been crushed by the vehicle. I know there is an argument to both sides of this issue, but i honestly believe it should be left up to the individual, because both sides of the argument bring up valid points.
About 43,000 people per year are killed in car accidents here in the states. 63% or 27,000 don’t have seat belts on. If you read the NHTSA stats online I think you’d be convinced that the averages are with you when you are belted. Sure there are some accidents where a belt is a negative. Some folks think an air bag replaces a belt. They do not. In Maine where roll over accidents are common due to winter conditions belts are even more important. How many doors stay shut when are car is doing a flip?
If people would slow down and take more precautions.The percentage would go way down. In the winter like you said,you need to slow down and be careful.
all my doors kept shut in a roll over.in fact ive seen a couple and every time the doors stayed closed.someone lost their life,the daughter doesn’t need your I told you so.
Thank you sir.I can tell you have common sense.
Its good to know that your experience and several others out way the facts. Seat belts saved 15000 lives last year. Reader don’t need you poor advice,
“The driver, who was ejected from the pickup and became pinned underneath it, was pronounced dead at the scene.”
3 people most likely would be alive today if they had buckled up. I truly don’t understand why people refuse to wear them. You get in my car, it doesn’t move unless everyone is buckled up.
well someone lost their mother and their daughter so why not keep those kind of comments to yourself.
Someone would still have them if they choose to buckle up.
Your advice won’t save lives in the future. Kevin’s, however, just might.
Sad story. NO EXCUSE for not wearing a seat belt. I don’t buy any of that “its uncomfortable” nonsense. You know whats uncomfortable? Being ejected through glass and onto pavement at 55 mph.
Its sad, and I realize family members are suffering etc…but hopefully at least one person learns from this.
I have seen 5 people die wearing seatbelts,when the vehicle burst into flames and they where upside down and could not unhook them. So they kill people also,like it or not. So sorry to hear that this happened.
Sad to say but in a situation like that they may have died anyway if they had not been belted because they likely would have been ejected from the vehicle. Seatbelts don’t kill people, the accident is what kills them. Such a tragedy.
I see these with my own eyes.If they had been able to unhook them they would have lived.
Five cases? You’re simply lying. There haven’t been that many cases of entrapped vehicle fires in Maine in the past TWENTY YEARS.
Ok, but if they had not buckled in the first place they probably would not have survived either is what I am saying.
Who knows.But I know how they did die.
BULLSHEETS!
Hope it never happens to you.
Seatbelts don’t save you from every single accident. They increase your chances of living through one. Upside down and on fire usually results in people panicking and not being able to operate the belt. That said, I know people like to use “seatbelts kill” as an excuse not to wear one. I personally will use my brain and accept the fact that if I’m in a big heavy vehicle going much faster than I can walk…probably makes a little sense to strap in.
The weight of the people hanging upside down was the reason they could not unhook them. I will never say they dont save lives.But I do know they take lives also.
BULL!
Well all I will say is that what the police and ambulance people said. I watched a tractor trailer driver upside down with the truck in flames and he was trying so hard to unhook the seatbelt. I tried all I could to get the door open but i could not do it .
a woman died today in alton her car was in flames
Ignore Rocky4, i have went to three different stories and he has been negative on all of them. Just another day in commenting world of Bangor Daily
Poor argument they save a heck of a lot more lives than they take and the statistics aren’t even close.
Too stupid to wear seatbelts. Yes, a tragedy, but perhaps an avoidable one or at least with less serious injuries.
Don’t be stupid, wear your seatbelt. Seatbelts are a PROVEN lifesaver. Read the stats. And make sure your car has airbags, another PROVEN lifesaver.
In addition to wearing a seatbelt, drivers could simply slow down in poor road conditions and avoid crashing altogether.
it was not expected for the roads to be slippery. I too headed out early in the morning for Black Friday shopping, it was 44 degrees, yet I hit black ice, fortunately I did not lose control, but I NEVER expected icy conditions with those temps.
“Neither the mother or daughter were wearing seat belts”
As tragic as the incident is, there is no, repeat NO excuse for not wearing a seat belt.
Chances are, mother would still be alive and daughter would be less severely injured had they both been strapped in.
Trucks are the worst, they roll over in every other accident and are so much less controllable in avoidance maneuvers. And did I say that I drive one ?I see them spinning around off I-95 all of the time, they don’t know how to go straight on ice.
That ends today. I’m gonna park the Ford and pickup a non-pickup.
Thoughts are with this family.
I know the family, It is such a tragedy,
Incredibly sad.. I was headed to Bangor on rt 222 at that time. I was the one who was going 25 mph because of the black ice! I was the one who had someone riding on my butt because evidently I wasn’t going fast enough. I’m sure they were headed to a sale just like myself but no sale is worth my life or anyone else’s because I’m going to drive 50 mph to make it to Kohls! Not saying these women were traveling fast but I’m so sick of people being in a hurry to get to a store!