One person died early Tuesday morning in a crash on the Maine Turnpike near the Wells-Ogunquit town line, police said.
The single-vehicle crash occurred around 6:30 a.m. in the northbound lane of the turnpike, at mile 18, and killed a male passenger, said Stephen McCausland, spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety.
Police have not identified the man who died in the crash, but McCausland said the victim and the car’s male driver are believed to be out-of-state residents.
Troopers who responded to the crash believe speed was a factor in the crash, McCausland said. The driver struck the highway median guardrail, crossed over the northbound lanes, hit the guardrail on the opposite side of the road, and then struck a group of trees, he said.
The passenger died at the scene, and the driver was hospitalized with injuries that weren’t life-threatening at Maine Medical Center in Portland, according to McCausland.
Troopers on scene say it appears the driver hit the median, then crossed the lanes going through the guardrail on the other side of the road. Car struck a tree, passenger killed not identified yet. Happened around 6:15 am @MaineTurnpike @WGME pic.twitter.com/eOmfwD39ve
— Lexie O’Connor (@LexieWGME) August 21, 2018
One lane of the highway’s three northbound lanes was expected to remain closed Tuesday while troopers investigate the crash.
Follow the Bangor Daily News on Facebook for the latest Maine news.