Mechanical failure cause of Rte. 26 collision

COLLIDED —  Around 10:40 a.m. February 3, this 2003 Dodge pickup, owned and operated by John Desper, 45, of Cumberland, RI, was traveling south on Park Street (Route 26) in Paris when a steering component on his vehicle broke, sending it across the center line and into a 2005 Mazda SUV, driven by Phyllis Schneider, 77, of Sumner, according to Paris Police Chief Michael Dailey. According to Dailey, the accident happened just north of Park Street and Old Route 26. He said both Schneider and her passenger, Clayton Schneider, 78, were transported to Stephens Memorial Hospital in Norway for minor injuries. Desper and his passengers, John Medeiros, 42, Joseph Pacheco, 63, and Donald Sevigny, 41, whose addresses were not provided, reportedly refused medical treatment at the scene, Dailey reported.