GARDINER — Police have identified the man who was killed Friday afternoon when his Jeep veered off U.S. Route 201 and slammed into a building.

Eric Beauchesne, 67, of Pittston, died at the scene of the crash, Gardiner Police Chief James Toman said. Investigators think Beauchesne might have suffered a medical problem while driving.

Police, who had withheld Beauchesne’s identification pending family notification, talked on Sunday evening to Beauchesne’s son, who lives out of state. Beauchesne lived alone, police said.

“We had a difficult time making contact with his family and making proper notification,” Toman said.

The crash occurred shortly before 4 p.m. Friday as Beauchesne was driving his Jeep Liberty north on U.S. 201, known locally as Brunswick Avenue. The vehicle crossed the center line, hit an outcropping of rock ledge on the other side and caromed into the Maine Drilling and Blasting building, landing on its side.

Toman said it did not appear Beauchesne was wearing a seat belt, since he was partially ejected from the vehicle.

No one was in the building when the crash happened, Toman said.

The outside metal wall of the building was crushed, causing an estimated $38,000 to $40,000 in damages, 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.

Toman said items found in a search of the vehicle seemed to support the idea that Beauchesne suffered from a medical problem before the crash. Toman did not know whether an autopsy would be conducted.

A spokesman at Maine’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said Tuesday results of an examination were unavailable.

Craig Crosby — 621-5642

ccrosby@centralmaine.com