FARMINGTON – A collision on the Farmington Falls Road sent two drivers to Franklin Memorial Hospital this morning.
According to Farmington Police Department Officer Michael Adcock, at 10:53 a.m. first responders were alerted to a collision at the intersection of Route 27, better known as the Farmington Falls Road, and the Mason Road, near Goings Electric Supply. A 2000 Ford Focus, traveling eastbound, turned left to go onto Mason and collided with a 1993 Honda Civic which was traveling westbound on Rt. 27.
Police say that operating the Ford Focus was Nicole Pomeroy, 23, of Jay, with her three-month-old son in a child’s safety seat, sitting in the back. Operating the Honda Civic was Roger Briscoe, 32, of Wilton.
Adcock said that both vehicles were totaled in the collision. Farmington Fire Rescue worked for several minutes to extricate Pomeroy from her vehicle, with Briscoe, Pomeroy and her son all eventually transported to FMH.
Pomeroy suffered a dislocated hip, chipped femur and wounds to the face and head, according to Adcock, and was in surgery Thursday afternoon. Briscoe, who was wearing his seatbelt, complained of chest pains and was undergoing evaluation at FMH. Pomeroy’s son was examined and released.
Adcock said that police believe Pomeroy was not wearing her seatbelt, and said that the child’s safety seat had not been “properly secured” inside her vehicle.
“She was fairly lucky she didn’t get ejected,” Adcock said, noting that decisions regarding charges were still pending.
In addition to Farmington fire and police personnel, NorthStar Ambulance Service responded to the scene. Also responding were personnel from the Maine State Police and Franklin County Sheriff’s Department, to run reconstruction and mapping, respectively.
Drugs or alcohol are not believed to be factors in the incident.
The child safety seat not being properly secured leads me to a soap box moment. It is near impossible to find an “expert” on child safety seat installation in Farmington. There was a gentleman at the Dodge dealership named Cliff who knew wat he was doing. He has since left the area, and there wasn’t anyone else who did an acceptable job. It has been 2 years since I was in need of this service, so maybe some one has stepped into this role. If so it would be great to publish this information here for new parents. It is difficult to get the angle correct on the infant carriers. There was a gentleman on the ambulance staff who installed the base for an infant carrier in my Mother-in-law’s vehicle, but he didn’t do a very good job. The base was still moving all over the backseat, and I had to fix it myself.
I think before the police add something like this into their report, and before the reporter includes it in the article, they should also include the possibility that the seat itself may have failed. The way the article is written it appears that the young mother is at fault when in fact she is a doting mom to her little boy and would never have used the seat if she had any idea that it was not properly secured. Just think of that when reporting on things that can affect people and their families, not to mention legal ramifications.
I would have to agree that putting that comment in this article is extreamly irritating! As a yound mother myself, I know how hard it is to get the carseats secured in the vehicle the “correct” way and how there are very little resources for new parents on how to do so. I do know Nicole and know that she would have never put her son at risk knowingly. Instead of shedding light on such a trivial comment by some loose lip cop, let’s be thankful this little boy is okay and still has his mommy to take care of him.
Dear “Aunt of Victim” and “Annoyed” I am sure that it is uncomfortable to read that someone you love may have had a carseat installed incorrectly or that it is in question if she was even wearing a seatbelt herself, but I think you are looking at this too emotionally. The article itself and the police comments basically mention how lucky everyone was to have survived, suggesting that they were glad for this miracle. The police did not suggest in any way that the mother intentionally had the seat installed incorrectly. It is a responsible thing for the police to do, by mentioning the fact that the carseat may have been improperly installed. It is also very responsible of them to mention proper use of safety belts for adults. It has created a forum for discussion and will draw attention to other mothers that there is in fact a right and a wrong way to install a carseat. Hopefully this will prompt others to contact their local police to request an inspection of their own car seats. Let’s face it, most people do not pay attention to warnings and the importance of safety belts until their is a story newsworthy enough to draw our attention to it. To refer to the police as “loose lipped” is ignorant and unfair. Kuddos to the police to take this opportunity to, once again, remind all of us of the importance of knowing proper installation of safety restraints and the importance of using them. No, I am not a cops wife, just reasonable!!
I’m Just Thankful Everone Is Okay!
Enough pointing of fingers, what’s important is everyone survived.
Wishing speedy recoveries to everyone.
My grandchildren live in another state. There the police department personnel will check that child safety seats are installed properly, and assist when necessary. Apparently this young mother had placed the child in the safe spot, in the middle of the back seat. Lots of the seats are very difficult to install correctly, even for my son, an auto tech.
Let us thank all the responders involved, and pray for the speedy recovery of those injured.
“Accident” as described by Dictionary.com “accident–noun
1.an undesirable or unfortunate happening that occurs unintentionally and usually results in harm, injury, damage, or loss; casualty; mishap: automobile accidents.”
The Farmington Ambulance Service, last I knew, will show you how to secure a child safety seat. When my daughter was born, I went in to see Peter Wade and he took time to show me how to properly secure a child seat. He also instructed me to put the seat in the back seat center, not the sides (which I previously had it on). Later that year, a woman with a pain killer addiction hit our car right where my daughter’s seat had been installed (before I got the help from Peter). The fact that she was properly secured in the center back seat saved her from injury. I STRONGLY encourage anyone to call the ambulance service to schedule an appointment. It’s free, doesn’t take long and it will give you peace of mind. I’m not assigning blame, just responding to the need for better safety education.
Jeff Bailey
Peter Wade did a demonstration at my children’s Head Start a few years ago, he’s very good. There are so many things that no one is ever taught that you’ll learn if you meet with him.