Head-on crash injures two; Maine’s top doc stops to lend aid

FARMINGTON FALLS – Two men were injured, one seriously, following a head-on collision on the Farmington Falls Road this afternoon.

Police say Paul Fortier, 66, of Strong, was driving from Farmington on the Farmington Falls Road when his Chevrolet sedan crashed head-on into a Chevrolet Lumina sedan driven by John Barnes, 20, of Chesterville, at 1:44 p.m. today.

The impact of the collision sent Fortier’s car swinging around nearly 180 degrees to land next to the stop sign at the intersection of Croswell Road. Barnes, according to Lt. Jack Peck of the Farmington Police Department, was attempting to make a left turn onto Croswell Road when he collided with Fortier’s car. The impact activated the driver’s side airbag and sent the car Barnes was driving backwards to land on the soft shoulder of the road.

Witnesses said Fortier “passed a couple of vehicles,” Peck said, just before the crash. He added Fortier is believed to have been going at a high rate of speed as he passed the vehicles.

Among those witnesses,  Dr. Dora Anne Mills, Maine’s Public Health director, said she was traveling from Farmington behind Fortier’s car and saw the crash. She stopped to call emergency crews and aid those in the cars.

“When I got to the black car I saw it was smoking and tried to help him out,” Mills said. Seeing he was trapped in the car, she was relieved the see rescue crews were on the way. Fortier’s older sedan was not equipped with an airbag.

“They got here pretty quick,” she said. Mills then went to check on Barnes who was able to get out of his car. She called his mother and stayed with him until she arrived. She said Barnes was complaining of abdominal pains and she advised him to go and get evaluated at the hospital.

Barnes was taken to Franklin Memorial Hospital. Fortier, Peck said, is believed to be seriously injured. A LifeFlight helicopter landed on the Farmington Falls ball field and airlifted Fortier to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston.

An accident reconstruction investigation was conducted, which will include determining how fast both vehicles were going when the crash occurred. With both damaged cars landing off the road, one lane of traffic was kept open on the busy Farmington Falls Road.

Assisting at the scene were Farmington officers Peck, Bridgette Gilbert, Marc Bowering and Bill Tanner. Trooper Randy Keaten, members of the Farmington Fire Rescue Department, and two NorthStar EMS ambulance crews assisted.

Tonight, a nurse supervisor at Franklin Memorial Hospital said Barnes was treated and released. A spokeswoman at Central Maine Medical Central said she could not release information on Fortier’s condition.