
PALMYRA — A 67-year-old man was killed Thursday when his car crossed the centerline and collided head-on with a tractor-trailer in Palmyra, according to the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office.
Robert Sylvia of St. Albans was southbound on Ell Hill Road at about 11:30 a.m. when his Mitsubishi Mirage subcompact car crossed into the path of the tractor-trailer owned by the Maine Department of Transportation, according to a statement released by Chief Deputy Mike Mitchell.
Sylvia was pronounced dead at the scene, Mitchell said, and a juvenile passenger was taken to Northern Light Sebasticook Valley Hospital in Pittsfield with injuries not believed to be life-threatening.
The tractor-trailer was driven by Jason Durrell, 39, of Hudson in Penobscot County. Mitchell told the Morning Sentinel that Durrell was not injured in the collision.
Mitchell did not indicate what might have caused Sylvia’s car to cross the centerline. The collision remained under investigation Thursday and the Maine State Police were expected to reconstruct the crash.
The crash drew a response from several emergency workers from Palmyra, Pittsfield, Hartland and Newport, and a LifeFlight of Maine helicopter, according to the Sheriff’s Office’s dispatch log.
Ell Hill Road, also known as state Route 152, was closed to traffic as emergency crews worked and, later, as officials removed the tractor-trailer from the side of the road.
The collision took place south of the intersection with Main Street, also known as U.S. Route 2. The intersection is in the western part of Palmyra, not far from Douglas Pond.

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