FAIRFIELD — A Starks man was killed Wednesday night when a truck and car collided on Norridgewock Road in Fairfield, police said.

James Murphy, 67, was driving north when a southbound truck crossed the center line and hit his 1998 Subaru Outback head-on, said Sgt. Matthew Bard of the Fairfield Police Department.

The driver of the truck, a 2003 Chevrolet pickup, was Mark Bussell, 37, of Fairfield, Bard said. He said there were no other passengers in either vehicle. Murphy was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident, which was reported at 4:48 p.m., Bard said.

Bussell was taken to MaineGeneral Medical Center’s Alfond Center for Health in Augusta, where he was treated for non-life-threatening injuries, Bard said.

Police are investigating the cause of the accident. They have not yet determined whether drugs or alcohol were a factor, Bard said, and police are also looking into the possibility that Bussell fell asleep at the wheel.

A retired biochemist, Murphy moved to Starks from Boston in 1990 and operated a small dairy farm, according to Morning Sentinel archives. He served as chair of the town’s Agriculture Commission, the first organization of its type in the state that he helped launch in January. He also served on the town’s appeals board and owned properties in Waterville.

In September, Murphy helped start a project called Starks Farm Hands, a database of farmers looking for help and laborers looking for work, in an effort to connect more local people with employment.

Rachel Ohm can be contacted at 612-2368 or at:r

ohm@centralmaine.com

Copy the Story Link