BENTON, Maine — A 20-year-old man from Clinton died in a single-vehicle crash on I-95 in Benton late Sunday afternoon.
It happened shortly before 4:15 p.m. near northbound mile marker 134, Maine Department of Public Safety spokesperson Shannon Moss said.
State troopers responded to reports of a vehicle that had veered off the right side of the roadway. Upon arrival, they discovered that the driver, identified as Isaiah Mathieu, had died. Mathieu was the sole occupant of the vehicle, a 2004 Chevy Trax, Moss said.
Preliminary investigations suggest that Mathieu failed to navigate a bend in the road, causing the vehicle to leave the roadway and strike a guardrail, Moss said. The SUV sustained significant damage before coming to rest in a ditch near the tree line, according to the release.
While the exact cause of the crash is still undetermined, authorities said speed and the driver’s inability to negotiate the curve are considered contributing factors.
The Maine Department of Transportation, Clinton Fire Department, and Blanchard’s Towing assisted at the scene.
The crash remains under investigation, with authorities working to determine the full circumstances surrounding the tragic event.
