The driver in a crash Sunday that killed her son and boyfriend was under the influence of medication, drugs or alcohol, according to a police crash report, although her blood alcohol test had yet to be analyzed and the report does not say what led police to that conclusion.
Candice Tucker, 34, of Gorham was driving on Route 302 in Bridgton in a beige 1994 Honda when she lost control and crashed into some trees.
Her son Branden Denis, 16, and her boyfriend Eric Morey, 35, of Portland, were pronounced dead at the scene. Tucker, who suffered “incapacitating” injuries, was released from Maine Medical Center Thursday.
A crash report prepared by the responding officer and approved Thursday said Tucker’s condition at the time of the crash was “under the influence of medications/drugs/alcohol.” The entry is one of a number of pre-worded codes available to the investigating officer who selects the entry that best describes the circumstances.
Bridgton Police Chief Kevin Schofield would not elaborate on details in the report, saying the crash is still under investigation.
The report prepared by Bridgton Officer Donald Mccormick says Tucker’s blood is being tested for alcohol – which is standard in any crash with serious injuries – but that the results had not come back. Blood test results take longer to analyze than a breath test for blood alcohol.
The report says a citation is pending, though it does not say for what violation. The report also does not say why police concluded Tucker was under the influence of a substance without blood test results, and says that she was not given a drug test.
Maine State Police Lt. Walter Grzyb, who leads Troop B covering southwestern Maine, did not comment on the specifics of the Bridgton investigation, but shed some light on why the report might have been worded the way it was.
“It means the officer has reason to believe at the time of the report one of those things is a contributing factor,” Grzyb said. That might mean, among other things, that the officer smelled alcohol on the person, or the person told the officer they were taking medication, he said.
Tucker’s sister, Angelique Tucker, on Tuesday told the Portland Press Herald that her sister said she had been distracted while interacting with her son, who was in the back seat.
Tucker hadn’t been drinking before she left Bridgton for Gorham on Sunday, according to Tracy Scott, whose house they had been visiting. Scott is the girlfriend of Morey’s brother, Steven Morey Jr.
The group had done errands, visited Scott’s parents and had a bonfire, she said. Tucker, Denis and Morey left at 5:30 p.m., she said.
“Eric was drinking so when they went to leave, we were very glad Candice was driving,” Scott said. She also said Tucker hadn’t taken any drugs, but didn’t know if she was on any medication.
Scott said she gave the same account to police when they questioned her.
Denis’s funeral is being held Friday at Gorham High School. Morey’s is being held Sunday at Chandler’s Funeral Home in Bridgton at 2 p.m.
The crash occurred at 5:50 p.m., at the intersection with Burnham Road, according to the crash report. The weather was cloudy but dry.
Tucker was headed southeast and was “overtaking passing and exceeded posted speed limit,” the report said. The speed limit in that area is 55 mph and is a no-passing zone, according to the report, which does not say how fast the Honda was going.
Tucker’s explanation, according to her sister, was that she was distracted by her son in the backseat, turned into the oncoming lane, then swerved back into her lane, hit the brakes, lost control and went off the road. A witness in a car that passed Tucker moments before said she was going slower than the speed limit, and the description of her swerving is consistent with what he saw in his rearview mirror.
The report says Tucker over-corrected, but that she was not distracted.
Tucker was wearing her seatbelt, but Denis and Morey were not. Morey was in the front passenger seat and Denis in the rear seat. Both Tucker’s and Morey’s airbags deployed. There was no rear seat airbag.
Tucker has not had a moving violation on her driving record in eight years. Her last driving conviction was for leaving the scene of an accident in 2006 and she had a conviction for operating under the influence in 2002.
David Hench can be contacted at 791-6327 or at:
Twitter: @Mainehenchman
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