Black ice on Maine’s Western Mountain roads apparently caused a two-car accident Sunday night that claimed the life of a Stratton man, police said Monday.

Carrabassett Valley Police Chief Mark Lopez said that Levi Pooler, 34, died early Monday at a Portland hospital from injuries sustained in the crash at about 6:40 p.m. Sunday on Route 27 in Carrabassett Valley north of Sugarloaf Mountain.

Lopez said Pooler was driving a 2008 Subaru wagon north when his car apparently slid on black ice and into the path of another car that was traveling south toward Sugarloaf. The accident happened near the Carrabassett Valley Outdoor Association rifle range on what locals call the back side of Bigelow Hill, part of Crocker Mountain in Franklin County, he said.

“He lost control on ice-slick roads — basically black ice,” Lopez said. “The only place the roads got bad was right on top of the Bigelow Hill area. We got just enough of a light snow. It melted and froze over.”

Lopez said Pooler’s car slid over the center lane as another car, a 2011 Subaru wagon, approached over the crest of the hill and hit his vehicle broadside on the passenger door.

The other car was driven by Ashely Tempesta, 28, of Portland. The car is registered to Malindi Thompson, 28, of Portland, who was a passenger in the back seat. Casey Berry, 26, also of Stratton, was a passenger in the front seat and was not injured.

Tempesta and Thompson were taken to a local hospital with broken bones.

Pooler was taken by Northstar Ambulance to Franklin Memorial Hospital and later taken by LifeFlight of Maine helicopter to Maine Medical Center in Portland, where he died just before 4 a.m. Monday.

Pooler was previously a resident of Madison, Lopez said. He said Berry is from Skowhegan and Tempesta’s license shows a recent address in Caratunk. All of the people involved in the crash were wearing seat belts, except for Berry, according to Lopez.

Doug Harlow — 612-2367

dharlow@centralmaine.com

Twitter:@Doug_Harlow