BANGOR, Maine — A Carmel woman who in January admitted to a civil violation in connection with a motor vehicle crash that left another woman dead was ordered Friday to pay a $1,000 fine and to have her license to drive suspended for three years.
Rebecca Chasse, 53, paid the fine late Friday at the Penobscot Judicial Center after a hearing and was allowed to drive home but could not drive after she arrived.
Chasse was driving west on Route 2 in Hermon about 5:40 p.m. June 16, 2014, when she got into a fight with her adult daughter that caused her to lose control of her car and cross the centerline. Her 2003 Jeep Liberty struck the 2012 Ford Fusion driven by Karen A. Worcester, 60, of Carmel. Worcester died at the scene.
“In this case it was failure to maintain control of her vehicle and failure to maintain a lane,” Marianne Lynch, assistant district attorney for Penobscot County, said last month.
Lynch recommended Superior Court Justice William Anderson fine Chasse $4,000, the maximum allowed, and suspend her license for three years. She told the judge Friday that blood tests show Chasse had no drugs or alcohol in her system and she was not using her phone at the time of the crash.
Members of Worcester’s family did not address the court but Lynch read impact statements from family members. Worcester’s sister Martha Rae Lane of Winslow said that “the penalty in no way compares to the loss to our family.”
Chasse’s attorney, Anthony Trask of Bangor, did address the fine but said that because she lives in Carmel and works in Bangor, the license suspension would make it almost impossible for her to get to work.
He also said that Chasse suffered serious injuries in the crash and has a permanent limp as a result.
Chasse did not address the judge Friday.