Three people died in two separate Waldo County car accidents this morning as snowy weather wreaked havoc on the roads, police said.

The first accident killed a mother and her 15-year-old daughter. An 18-year-old college student died in the second case.

On top of about 10 other car accidents this morning, Bob Keating, chief deputy of the Waldo County Sheriff’s Office, said it’s among the deadliest series of accidents he’s seen in some 40 years of policework.

“It was extremely slippery out there, through Knox, Troy, Unity Thorndike, and 35 to 45 mph was as fast as emergency vehicles were going,” Keating said. “People need to slow down.”

The first fatal crash was reported at 7:51 a.m. in Knox, on Bailey Road.

A Subaru Outback driven by Laura Breault, 48, of Knox, was heading east toward Brooks. Breault was taking her 15-year-old daughter, Jessica, to school, Keating said.

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Coming toward them from the west was a tractor-trailer hauling a partially-filled milk tank, driven by Daniel Crockett, 44, of Rome. The tanker was owned by H.A. Haskell & Sons, of Palermo.

Breault’s car began to skid, Keating said, and it swerved right into the path of the tractor-trailer. On impact, the trailer jack-knifed and both vehicles fell into a ditch.

Both Breaults were declared dead at the scene and they had to be extricated from the remains of the vehicle, Keating said. Crockett was not injured.

Dep. Matt Curtis investigated the accident, which was being reconstructed by Dept. Ben Seekins. Maine State Police also assisted at the scene.

Then, at 10:58 a.m., the second fatal crash was reported on Route 9/ Bangor Road in Troy.

David E. Brown, 18, of Unity, was driving a 1994 Jeep Cherokee and was on his way north. Brown, a student at the University of Maine, was on his way to take a final exam, Keating said.

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Brown passed another car on Route 9 and had returned to the travel lane when his vehicle began to skid, Keating said. It slid sideways into a utility pole on the driver’s side; the pole snapped and its wires fell down onto the road.

Brown died at the scene, Keating said. The vehicle was registered to his parents, who live in Missouri, Keating said.

Dep. Seekins investigated the crash and was assisted by Lt. Jason Trundy and Maine State Police. Route 9, from Rogers Road to Barker Road, was closed for about an hour and then opened up to one lane of traffic in the early afternoon.

Police believe speed and the weather conditions were the main factors in the crash, Keating said.


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