Teen Dead in Harrison Crash

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ONE DEAD, ONE CRITICALLY INJURED - An teen died and another young man is hospitalized in critical condition, after the SUV they were in crashed in Harrison. Two others, including the driver, escaped with minor injuries. Police are investigating what led to the tragedy. (photo by Chuck Blaquiere)

HARRISON - A teenager died when the vehicle he was riding in crashed into trees on Route 35 in Harrison last Thursday evening. Three others survived.

According to Captain Jeff Davis of the Cumberland County Sheriff's Department, Thomas Colby McLendon, 18, of Oxford, was pronounced dead at the scene. Davis said the young man was a passenger in the rear seat of a 2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer SUV driven by a 17-year-old female, whose name is being withheld due to her age. Another passenger, Jacob R. Hill, 20, of Waterford, was taken via LifeFlight helicopter ambulance, to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston with serious, life-threatening injuries. He was still in critical condition Tuesday, said a hospital representative. The driver and another passenger, Timothy Coffin, 21, of Waterford, were not as seriously injured, Davis said.

The vehicle was heading north (toward Waterford village) on Waterford Road (Route 35). It was still in Harrison, but nearing the Waterford town line when it crossed over the southbound lane and into some roadside trees. An initial impression is that speed may have been a factor, and that the driver lost control on a gradual curve in the road.  However, the Cumberland County reconstruction team, assisted by Windham police, are conducting a thorough investigation, Davis said. While the tasks of interviewing witnesses and working out the physics of the incident, blood tests on the victims and driver are being analyzed, a process that often takes months.

Although none of the car's occupants were students at the time, all had recently attended and/or graduated from Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School in South Paris and were known to many current students, faculty and staff. Principal Ted Moccia said special counseling will be offered to students who feel the need to deal with their grief in that manner.