NEW PORTLAND

Snowmobiler killed in crash with pickup on Route 27

A man driving a snowmobile was killed Friday night in New Portland when his vehicle was struck by a pickup truck while trying to cross Route 27, police said.

Robert J. Peavey, 57, of Gloucester, Mass., was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, which was reported about 6:15 p.m. Friday, according to a news release from the Somerset County Sheriff’s Department.

Leroy Hiscock, 69, of Livermore Falls was driving a 2004 Ford F-150 pickup south on Route 27 when the snowmobile came off a trail in the woods and tried to cross the state route, police said. Peavey, driving a 2003 Rotax 600 Ski-Doo snowmobile, was struck by the truck, which couldn’t stop in time, police said.

Also in Hiscock’s truck were a 7-year-old boy and two dogs. One of the dogs was killed from the impact, police said.

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Hiscock was treated at Franklin Memorial Hospital in Farmington; the boy was not hurt.

The snowmobile was destroyed in the crash and the truck had extensive front-end damage.

FARMINGTON

Logging truck snags car, shoves it about 200 feet

Police say a logging truck inadvertently snagged a Hyundai on Friday and shoved the car down the road for about 200 feet before stopping.

Nobody was hurt when the fully loaded truck, driven by Keith Roy of Lancaster, N.H., changed lanes in Farmington and caught the hatchback by a bumper, the Lewiston Sun Journal reported.

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Officer Darin Gilbert was making a traffic stop nearby when he saw the car, owned by 57-year-old David Richards, being pushed down the road, the driver’s side squarely squished against the front of the Western Star big rig.

Roy didn’t notice he had linked up with the much-smaller vehicle until he stopped at a traffic light and other people alerted him.

He was ticketed for failing to yield the right of way.

SEBEC

Bill Irwin, blind solo hiker of Appalachian Trail, dies

Bill Irwin, the first blind hiker to complete the Appalachian Trail without assistance, has died at the age of 73.

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A posting on Irwin’s website says he died of prostate cancer on March 1, the anniversary of the start of his historic 1990 journey.

In November 1990, Irwin arrived at a campground in Millinocket with his sole companion, his guide dog, Orient. After nine months and 2,167 miles, he became the first blind person to make the solo hike from Georgia to Maine.

A memorial service was set for Saturday in Bangor.

Irwin is survived by his wife, Debra, and four children.

– From staff and news services


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