
SKOWHEGAN — A driver’s lack of familiarity with the road is believed to be a factor in a crash Tuesday evening that sent two to the hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening.
Skowhegan Chief of Police David Bucknam said in an email Tuesday night that the agency responded to the report of a crash at 4:08 p.m. Sgt. Kris McKenna and Officer Stefani Jones responded to the two-vehicle crash at the intersection of East Ridge Road and Canaan Road.
Bucknam said that Ever Josue Funes Cruz, 24, of Monroe, North Carolina, was driving south on East Ridge Road and failed to stop at a stop sign and entered U.S. Route 2, when his vehicle collided with another, operated by Ricky Pease, 54, of Skowhegan. Pease was traveling west on Route 2 and attempted to stop but was “unable to avoid Mr. Cruz’s vehicle and collided with him.”

“Both vehicles were extremely damaged,” Bucknam said. “During the investigation, Sgt. McKenna attributed the accident to Mr. Cruz’s unfamiliarity of the road.”
Cruz and his passenger were transported from the scene to Redington-Fairview General Hospital to be treated for chest pains following the crash.
The chief said that Cruz was summonsed for operating without a license and for failure to register a motor vehicle for more than 150 days.
Comments are not available on this story. Read more about why we allow commenting on some stories and not on others.
We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others.
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs.
Show less