A Louisiana woman died after a crash in Scarborough on Sunday morning, just 2 miles from where police say a West Enfield woman died under similar circumstances on Saturday afternoon.
Megan M. Plowden, of Abbeville, Louisiana, died in the hospital from injuries she sustained in a single-vehicle crash in the area of Payne and Mussey roads, according to Scarborough police.
Scarborough police said they received a call shortly before 7:30 a.m. Sunday about a woman driving dangerously on Gorham Road heading toward Payne Road. Four minutes later, police said, they received another call about a serious crash. First responders arrived to find Plowden, 38, injured.
Police are still investigating the crash and have not released details about the 911 call. They have not indicated whether they believe alcohol or speed were factors in the crash.
Plowden’s crash occurred less than 24 hours after 39-year-old Sarah B. Harford, of West Enfield, died in a single-vehicle crash on Payne Road, according to police.
“We normally don’t get these kind of things back to back,” Lt. Scott Vaughan said. “It was a very strange weekend to say the least.”
Police said Harford was speeding on Interstate 95 south at about 12:15 p.m. Saturday when she hit another vehicle. The other driver called 911 and followed her, according to Scarborough Police Sgt. Francis Plourd. The caller said Harford got off Exit 42, hit the guardrail several times and then turned right onto Payne Road.
Harford, who was alone in the vehicle, then veered off the road, hitting a rock and a utility pole before the vehicle stopped near 212 Payne Road, Plourd said. She was pronounced dead at the scene. No other injuries were reported.
Police refused Monday to provide additional details about the crash as they investigate.
Relatives for Harford and Plowden could not be reached Monday.
Plowden was in Maine working as a traveling nurse, according to Celeste White, a prosecutor in Louisiana who knew Plowden. She had been a licensed certified nursing assistant in Maine since September, according to a registry with the Department of Health and Human Services.
Plowden had five children. Her son Dylan was 14 years old when he was shot to death in 2017. He lived long enough to identify his killer in the hospital. The man was convicted in August and was scheduled to be sentenced this week, according to local news reports.
“Everybody was waiting for this date to come for me, because they know how much I was determined to get justice for Dylan,” Plowden told KLFY News 10 after the trial. “I couldn’t give up.”
After his death, Plowden became an advocate against gun violence in southern Louisiana. She posted on Facebook about several vigils, marches and fundraisers, including an annual toy drive in her son’s honor for local children.
White, who prosecuted the case, said Plowden was regularly at the courthouse for hearings and testified at the trial. She said Plowden was dedicated and patient, even as it took nearly five years for her son’s case to make it to trial.
“They never complained,” White said of Plowden and her family. “They would just quietly sit in every single hearing. They were so loyal to that little boy.”
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