Crash on Route 161 Kills Allagash Man
Reported By Jen Lynds
Bangor Daily News Staff
ST. JOHN, Maine — A head-on collision on Route 161 in St. John Plantation just before 11 a.m. Tuesday killed an 87-year-old Allagash man. Maine State Police Sgt. Tom Pelletier said Patrick Jalbert was driving south when he lost control of his 2005 Ford truck and crossed the centerline into the path of a 2004 Chevrolet sport utility vehicle driven by Becky Caron of Fort Kent. Jalbert, who was not wearing a seat belt, was ejected from his vehicle and declared dead at the scene.
Caron and her children, ages 3 and 1, all were restrained properly in her vehicle, Pelletier said, but the mother was pinned in the SUV and had to be extricated by members of the Fort Kent Fire Department. Caron reportedly suffered two fractured legs and was taken by ambulance to Northern Maine Medical Center in Fort Kent, where she remained Tuesday evening. The 3-year-old and 1-year-old both suffered minor injuries, with the older child taken to the hospital by ambulance and the younger child by private vehicle, Pelletier said. Both were treated and then released from the hospital.
Both vehicles were demolished, Pelletier said. Pelletier said the accident may have been caused by speed and road conditions. Other police in The County dealt with several accidents Tuesday caused by freezing rain or light snow that fell overnight in central and northern Aroostook County leaving an icy sheen on some roads. Trooper Dan Marquis is investigating the accident. He was assisted by Trooper Rob Flynn, Pelletier, members of the Maine Warden Service and the Fort Kent Fire and Ambulance departments.
Even in cases where accidents are caused by slippery road conditions, it is sometimes possible to recover under negligence or product defect theories. In terms of negligence, the driver may have been going too fast or not driving attentively enough for the conditions. Sometimes there are issues in terms of vehicle maintenance–brakes, tire tread, tire pressure, etc. Finally, there have been technologies available for more than 10 years which assist a driver in maintaining control on slippery surfaces. The most common technologies are anti-lock brakes and electronic stability control. ABS brakes allow a driver to maintain control under braking conditions. ESC automatically senses the slipping wheels and selectively applies braking and throttle to prevent a loss of control. Beyond that, there are sometimes “crashworthiness” claims where injuries or deaths could have been prevented with a safer vehicle design. Examples of crashworthiness claims include unlatching or seatbelt failure, failure of the airbags to deploy or deploying under conditions when they should not have deployed, roof crush, fuel fed fire, etc. Unlike most personal injury firms which only consider negligent driving claims, at Berman & Simmons, we have the resources and expertise to evaluate all possible types of claims arising out of a severe and catastrophic vehicle-related injury. Give us a call at 1-800-244-3576 or visit our website at www.bermansimmons.com to learn more about us and how we might help you.