ROCKLAND, Maine — A 19-year-old Spruce Head man was indicted Friday on a charge of manslaughter in connection with a March 2014 head-on crash on Route 1 in Warren that claimed the life of a 38-year-old woman.
Samuel Simmons was charged with manslaughter and two counts of driving to endanger.
Simmons was driving north on Route 1 at about 7:30 a.m. March 20, when his 1997 GMC Sierra pickup truck crossed the center line near the intersection of Western Road and struck a southbound 2003 Subaru Forester driven by Alison Low of Warren.
Low died at the the crash. Her 18-year-old son, Dustin Kimball of Warren, was seriously injured but has since been released from the hospital. Kimball’s girlfriend, Olivia Blachet, 18, of Waldoboro, also was seriously injured. She spent more than five months at Maine Medical Center in Portland.
Shortly after the crash, Knox County Sheriff Donna Dennison said drugs and alcohol did not play a role in the crash. Texting also was ruled out as a cause.
Simmons has no recollection of the crash and he may have fallen asleep, the sheriff said.
Dennison said there have been several serious crashes along that stretch of Route 1 over the years she has been with the department.
Assistant District Attorney Jeffrey Baroody said Friday he had no comment on the reasons that led to charges being brought, but he added that more information would be released as the case went through the court system.
Correction: Olivia Blachet spent more than five months at Maine Medical Center in Portland. The original story was incorrect on the length of the hospital stay.