NORWAY, Maine — A Massachusetts man died Friday night after his car collided head on with a second vehicle and burst into flames.
William Stella, 36, of Stoneham, Massachusetts, died in the collision, Stephen McCausland, spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety, said Saturday in a news release.
The driver of the second vehicle, Jennifer Clough, 42, of Norway, was treated for injuries not considered life-threatening at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston, he said.
The incident began when an Oxford County Sheriff’s Office deputy saw Stella’s vehicle doing “doughnuts” in the middle of Main Street in South Paris. He attempted to stop Stella, but Stella took off at a high rate of speed. A chase ensued, but the deputy ended the pursuit before the crash took place, McCausland said.
Stella later lost control of the speeding Nissan 350Z, which spun around in the road and then slammed head on into Clough’s car on Route 118, near the Watson Road intersection, at about 11:15 p.m. April 22. Stella’s car then came to rest in woods along the road and caught fire, he said.
Clough’s car also caught fire. An Oxford deputy and a Norway police officer were able to free Clough from the wreckage while awaiting an ambulance, he said.
The crash occurred about 7 miles from where the incident began, McCausland said.