DEXTER, Maine — The 19-year-old Ripley man who was killed in a head-on collision between a car and a dirt bike Saturday night has been identified as John Russell, Dexter police said Monday.
Russell was riding a dirt bike southbound on Route 23 about a quarter-mile from the Ripley town line when he crossed the center line and struck a northbound Dodge Neon at about 10 p.m. Russell died instantly, Police Chief Kevin Wintle said Sunday.
Wintle said driver inattention and the fact that the bike had no headlight may have contributed to the crash.
Wintle described Russell as an avid motorcyclist and ATV rider. He said Russell was wearing a helmet when the accident occurred.
According to his obituary, Russell was a 2013 graduate of Dexter Regional High School and a 2014 graduate of Washington County Community College. He planned to continued his education in the fall. He was studying to become a diesel mechanic and was looking forward to a future at Freightliner of Maine.
The Neon’s driver, a 43-year-old Garland man, suffered bruises in the collision. Two female passengers suffered facial cuts. The three were treated at Mayo Regional Hospital and released, Wintle said.
A state police accident reconstruction team is assisting Dexter police with the investigation.
Anyone with information about the accident or the participants’ activities in the hours leading up to it is asked to call Dexter police at 924-7623, Wintle said.
BDN reporters Dawn Gagnon and Ryan McLaughlin contributed to this report.