A Hancock County man killed Wednesday night in a head-on crash on Route 1A in Ellsworth was the 105th to die this year on Maine roads.
Michael Mckee, 43, of Trenton, was ejected from his 2005 Jeep Wrangler after it struck a 2017 Toyota pickup truck at about 10:30 p.m. on Route 1A, which is also known as Bangor Road, about a half-mile south of Winkum Taugh Road, Ellsworth police Capt. Troy Biers said.
Mckee was pronounced dead at the scene. He was the fourth person killed in a crash on Route 1A this year, Biers said.
The sole occupant of the Toyota, Richard Robbins, 67, of Surry, was taken to Northern Light Maine Coast Hospital in Ellsworth for injuries not considered life-threatening. A preliminary investigation showed that the Jeep crossed over the centerline and struck the Toyota, Ellsworth police said.
The 105 deaths on Maine roads so far this year mark an increase over 84 at this point in 2018, according to the Maine Bureau of Highway Safety.
Labor Day weekend in particular has been a deadly time on Maine roads, with eight people dying in car crashes during the last three years, according to the bureau. Maine police plan to step up traffic enforcement throughout the holiday weekend this year.