WESTFIELD, Maine — One person has died and another person was seriously injured in a UTV crash in Aroostook County.
The Maine Warden Service responded to a call about a UTV crash at about 10:30 p.m. Sunday on a woods road in the town of Westfield, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife spokesperson Mark Latti said Monday in a news release.
An initial investigation indicates that the UTV was traveling downhill, and they were unable to negotiate a turn that veered to the right with a low spot in that turn and struck a tree. The driver, 40-year-old Jason Wilmot of Portland, and the passenger, 44-year-old Chris Foster of Gorham, were both ejected from the UTV, according to the release.
Neither one was wearing a helmet or seatbelt at the time of the crash.
Wilmot was pinned under the UTV and was pronounced dead at the scene. In an update Wednesday, Cumberland County Sheriff Kevin Joyce said Wilmot was a lieutenant with the sheriff's office.
"Lt. Wilmot was an awesome person and a great leader and supervisor," Joyce told NEWS CENTER Maine. "The Cumberland County Sheriff's Office is devastated by this tragic crash and Lt. Wilmot's passing."
The sheriff's office said in a social media post that Wilmot served the citizens of Cumberland County and the Cumberland County Jail for 22 years, adding he is survived by his wife and children.
Foster suffered head injuries and was brought to AR Gould Hospital in Presque Isle for treatment, Latti said.
The crash, which was reconstructed by the Maine Warden Service, remains under investigation. Alcohol is believed to have been a factor in the crash.
The Mars Hill Fire Department, Central Aroostook Ambulance, and Presque Isle Ambulance responded to the scene.
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