DRESDEN, Maine — A woman died and two people were seriously injured Friday morning on Route 27 near the Dresden-Wiscasset town line.
Police had not released the names of the victims as of late Friday afternoon, pending notification of family.
An initial investigation indicates that a 1995 Toyota Camry was headed north on Route 27 when a southbound 2010 Chevrolet Malibu crossed into the northbound lane and struck the Camry in the northbound lane, Chief Deputy Rand Maker of the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office said in a release.
Deputies and area fire and rescue personnel who first arrived at the scene just before 9:30 a.m. determined that the female driver of the Camry had died. A male passenger in the Camry and the driver of the Malibu were both taken by a Gardiner Rescue ambulance to MaineGeneral Medical Center in Augusta with what Maker described as serious injuries.
Maker said an ongoing investigation has not yet determined why the Malibu entered the wrong lane or if speed, alcohol or drugs factored into causing the crash.
Both drivers were apparently wearing seat belts, but investigators have not yet determined if the passenger in the Camry was belted at the time of the crash.
Route 27 was closed for more than three hours while Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s deputies reconstructed the crash and Lincoln County deputies conducted forensic mapping.
A blood sample was taken from the driver of the Malibu as is required in all investigations of fatal crashes, Maker said.
The Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office, Wiscasset police, Lincoln County District Attorney’s office, Wiscasset and Dresden fire departments, Gardiner Rescue and the Wiscasset Ambulance Service assisted the sheriff’s office.
Route 27 is the major commuter route between Lincoln County and the Augusta area. The woman’s death was one of four motor vehicle fatalities in Maine during a roughly 24-hour period between Thursday and Friday.