A three-vehicle crash on Route 35 in Standish killed an 8-year-old boy and left three other people, including his parents, in critical condition Saturday morning, authorities said. Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office
An 8-year-old Standish boy was killed in a crash Saturday morning that left three others, including his parents, in critical condition.
Owen Oates, 8, died at the scene of the three-vehicle crash, which took place on Route 35 in Standish near the Windham town line.
The crash happened around 9:10 a.m. and remains under investigation, according to the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office.
Owen was a passenger in a Toyota Corolla driven by his father, Vincent Oates, 51, also of Standish. His mother, Kerry Oates, 46, of Standish was also a passenger. Both adults were in critical condition Saturday at Maine Medical Center in Portland.
“This is certainly a sad day for the family and the community,” said School Administrative District 6 Superintendent Paul Penna in an email.
Owen was a student at Edna Libby Elementary School in Standish and the district will be making plans to provide support for staff, students and families as soon as possible, Penna said.
Vincent Oates runs his own carpentry and remodeling business and his wife works at the Gray Family Health Center in Gray, according to their Facebook pages. Both pages are full of photos of a smiling family, including Kerry Oates’ cover photo of a young boy standing next to a brightly lit Christmas tree.
James Rogers, Kerry Oates’ father, said Saturday he was traveling to Maine from North Carolina after hearing about the crash. He said he didn’t know what happened or where the family was headed Saturday morning.
“All I know is nothing,” Rogers said. “I don’t know anything at all. I know Kerry is in the hospital and Owen passed away.”
Police have not released information about possible causes for the crash, which also involved two additional vehicles.
On Friday, freezing rain led to several crashes and slide-offs throughout the state.
The road conditions at the time of Saturday’s crash are unknown, but will likely be looked at by an accident reconstruction team, said Capt. Craig Smith of the sheriff’s office.
Danilo Warrick, 75, of Standish, the sole occupant of one of the other vehicles, a Nissan Frontier, was also transported to Maine Med. He, too, was in critical condition Saturday, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
A third vehicle, a Ford Focus, was driven by Brian Whiton, 31, of Standish, who was treated at the scene and released.
Emergency workers from Windham, Standish and Gorham responded to the crash scene, as did a LifeFlight helicopter.
The section of Route 35 in question was closed as investigators worked at the scene and was reopened around 1:30 p.m.
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