BIDDEFORD — The state Medical Examiner’s Office has determined that a Biddeford man who was run over by a pickup truck and killed in a parking lot Monday afternoon died from blunt force trauma to his chest and head, and that the death was accidental.
Biddeford police, who took over the case after Maine State Police concluded their investigation Tuesday, hadn’t determined whether they will pursue charges against the driver, who apparently fled the scene after striking Mathew Perry, 31.
“We should know what direction the case is going in over the course of the next couple days,” said Biddeford police Deputy Chief JoAnne Fisk.
The driver was located and interviewed overnight, and voluntarily spoke with investigators, but no charges had been filed as of Tuesday evening and police had not identified the person, Fisk said. State police spokesman Steve McCausland said the determination by the Medical Examiner’s Office means there is no suspicion of foul play, but other charges are possible, including leaving the scene of an accident.
Perry’s death was first reported Monday about 2:30 p.m., when police and rescue workers were called to the parking lot of Play It Again Sports on Alfred Street, also known as Route 111. Perry was found lying on the asphalt.
An employee at the sporting goods store said Monday afternoon that he heard a noise, went outside and saw Perry lying on the asphalt. An officer later requested footage from a security camera inside the store, but the images were inconclusive because of glare from the afternoon sun.
Two other businesses, a dentist office and a bank, share the parking lot.
An emailed statement from McCausland on Tuesday afternoon said that after conducting an autopsy, the medical examiner concluded that the death was caused by “blunt force trauma to (the) head and chest caused when (the) pedestrian fell to the ground and was run over by (a) vehicle. The death was accidental.”
Neither state nor local police answered questions about how the Medical Examiner’s Office determined the death to be accidental.
Perry’s mother and other relatives arrived on the scene Monday night. The family declined an interview request when reached at home Tuesday.
Matt Byrne can be contacted at 791-6303 or at:
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