HARPSWELL

A Harpswell woman and her dog were killed after being hit by a car on Wednesday morning at about 6:40 a.m. 

According to Donald Goulet, captain of the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, Rita Douglas, 75, was walking her dog east bound on Route 24 on Harpswell Island Road, just south of Mountain Road, when the incident occurred. 

Douglas was apparently “just steps away” from her residence, said Goulet.

The 16 -year-old female Harpswell driver of a 2012 Nissan Titan pick up truck was also driving east bound when she struck the pedestrian and her dog in the break down lane. Both were killed upon impact, according to Goulet. 

Goulet said the Brunswick Police Department and the Criminal Investigation division of the sheriff’s office were in the process of investigating what issues were surrounding the accident. 

He noted that the rising sun may been a factor, impairing the driver’s vision. 

“At that hour of the morning, the sun’s coming up,” he said. 

Goulet said there was no indication that alcohol or speed had contributed to the accident at the time. 

Douglas’s husband was notified, who was not at home at the time of the accident, as well as her children. 

The driver’s family, who were visiting a camp a couple hours away, were also contacted. 

Route 24 was reduced to one lane for several hours and the cause of the crash remains under investigation, according to the sherriff’s office.

The Cumberland County Sheriff’s, Orr’s-Bailey Island Fire/EMS and the Brunswick Crash Reconstruction Team responded to the crash.

The sheriff’s office has released the name of the driver. However, The Times Record is not releasing the name of the juvenile driver at this time.

Goulet noted that these accidents do not occur very often, though he said another pedestrian accident had occurred  in Standish last Friday. 

“It’s tragic for the victim and her family, as well as the driver of the car,” Goulet said.

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