GARDINER — Police have yet to release the name of a man killed Friday afternoon after the Jeep Liberty he was driving went off U.S. Route 201 and struck a building belonging to Maine Drilling & Blasting.
Gardiner Police Chief James Toman said the 67-year-old man was from Pittston and lived alone.
Neighbors told police the man’s relatives live out of state and police were still trying to reach them Saturday, Toman said.
He said the crash was seen by another driver who was following the Jeep, heading north from the Interstate 95 off ramp in Gardiner and who was concerned about how the vehicle was being driven.
“She was calling 911 to alert us to the erratic operation” when the crash occurred, Toman said.
On Friday, police had said they believed the driver suffered a medical problem before the crash, and Toman said items found in a search of the vehicle seemed to support that.
He did not know whether there would be an autopsy, saying that was up to the medical examiner’s office and the man’s physician.
Toman also said it did not appear that the driver was wearing a seatbelt, since he was partially ejected from the vehicle.
Damage to the metal wall of the building, plus an exterior air conditioning unit was estimated at $38,000 to $40,000.
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