A woman and her mother died Tuesday when their car crossed the centerline of Route 302 in Casco and struck an oncoming vehicle, seriously injuring the other driver, authorities said.
Police are still investigating what caused driver Jamie Mantz, 53, to veer her Jeep into the oncoming lane just before 4 p.m., causing her vehicle to crash into a Chevy Tahoe, driven by Austin Wood, 26, of Naples, according to Sgt. David Hall of the Cumberland County Sheriff’s office.
Mantz died in the crash, he said. Her passenger, 80-year-old Carol Storm, was taken to a hospital, where she died from her injuries, Hall said. The mother and daughter were from Bridgton.
Wood also was hospitalized and was reported as being in critical condition at Maine Medical Center in Portland, where he remained Wednesday morning, Hall said. He was treated serious head and leg injuries, according to the Associated Press.
The crash occurred nearby the Casco golf course — a relatively straight portion of Route 302 that has seen an unusually high number of fatal crashes, Hall said. The sergeant isn’t sure why and said a rumble strip has been installed on the center line to prevent collisions.
That portion of Route 302 was shut down for three hours Tuesday afternoon while a crash reconstruction team mapped the the scene.
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