LIVERMORE FALLS — A Jay woman is dead after losing control of her motorcycle and crashing on Main Street Monday morning, police said.

Livermore Falls Police Chief Ernest Steward said the driver, Breanne Hewins, 40, lost control after speeding around a corner near the old Ben’s Variety store on Main Street. He said Hewins was riding too fast going northbound, lost control and crashed.

The motorcycle, a 2016 Harley Davidson, skidded across the southbound lane and crashed into a utility pole. Steward said the crash “split the motorcycle right in half,” with the rear end remaining near the pole, and the front end launched into a railroad bed some distance away. Hewins was thrown with the front end of the motorcycle.

No other vehicles were involved in the crash. Police don’t know whether there were any contributing factors other than speed.

“We’re sure speed was a major factor in it,” Steward said, adding that multiple eyewitnesses to the crash reported seeing Hewins “race around earlier.”

The call initially came in as an accident in front of Franchetti’s Home Town Variety in Jay, and the Jay Police Department responded. They discovered the crash was actually in Livermore Falls, and Jay police were the first to respond.

LifeFlight helicopter was contacted but then called off after Hewins was pronounced dead at the scene, Steward said. Lewiston police were working to reconstruct the scene.

Steward said Hewins was not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash. She was wearing what’s known as a mad bomber hat, which is a kind of leather skin cap. There was a helmet discovered at the scene, but Steward said Hewins carried that for her children.

Colin Ellis — 861-9253

cellis@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @colinoellis

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