SOUTH BRISTOL, Maine — Deputies are searching for a missing passenger who fled the scene of a crash in South Bristol that killed a 21-year-old on Thursday.
The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office says Austin Eugley crashed on Route 129 around 9:30 p.m. Sept. 19. with four passengers in a 2004 Volvo sedan. Authorities say Eugley was speeding when he took a left-hand curve and the car crossed into the northbound lane, rolling and hitting a large tree before it landed in a ditch on its side.
Eugley was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash. Deputies are not sure if the 21-year-old was wearing a seatbelt. Investigators say speed is considered a factor in the crash and there is a possibility that alcohol was involved as well.
Authorities say four other people were in the car at the time of the crash. They have been identified as
- Jacob Overlock, 18, of Warren
- Gabrielle Staples, 19, of Boothbay
- Ashley Sherman, 20, of Warren
- Adrian Phaenephom, 19, of Searsmont
Overlock, Staples, and Sherman were taken to the Lincoln Health Miles Campus with minor, non-life threatening injuries. But Phaenephom fled the scene and authorities want to find him to interview him. Investigators believe none of the passengers were wearing seatbelts.
As in all fatal crash investigations, a blood sample will be used to determine Eugley’s blood-alcohol level at the time of the crash.