KITTERY, Maine — Police believe a driver in a fatal crash in Kittery on Wednesday experienced a medical event, causing him to cross the center line and crash head-on into another vehicle.
The 59-year-old man who died was from Lee, New Hampshire, according to a release from Kittery police. Officials did not name the man in the release.
The other driver involved in the crash did not suffer any injuries but was evaluated by medical personnel on the scene, the release stated.
The crash happened shortly before 4:30 p.m. at the intersection of Route 236 and Stevenson Road, according to police. Neither vehicle was severely damaged, the release said.
When officers got to the scene, they found the New Hampshire man unconscious and unresponsive in his 2005 Mercury Mountaineer, which was towing a boat on a trailer, police said. Officers removed the man from the vehicle and began CPR and life-saving measures before officials from the Kittery Fire Department and Stewart's Ambulance Service took over treatment. He was ultimately taken to Portsmouth Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said.
The other driver was driving a 2021 Chevrolet pickup truck.
"Based on the initial investigation and witness statements, it appears the operator of the Mercury suffered a medical event which caused him to veer into the opposite lane of travel, striking the Chevrolet," Kittery police said. "At this time, it is believed the death of the operator was caused by the medical event and not injury sustained in the actual crash."
The crash remains under investigation by Kittery police, with assistance from the York Police Department Accident Reconstruction team.
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