WINTHROP — A local businessman was killed and a woman hospitalized after a head-on crash Thursday morning on U.S. Route 202.
Richard Leighton, 71, of Winthrop, died at the scene, said Winthrop Police Capt. Ryan Frost. He owned Leighton’s Garage on Route 133.
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Bobbi Reeves, 39, of Winthrop, was taken by ambulance to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston with non life-threatening injuries. She was treated and released, a hospital spokeswoman said.
The crash occurred just before 7:30 a.m., as Reeves drove her 2007 Dodge Durango east on U.S. 202. The Durango crossed the center line near the Horseshoe Road intersection, Frost said. The Durango hit Leigthon’s westbound 2002 Chevrolet pickup truck head on.
Both drivers were wearing seatbelts, police said.
A layer of snow and slush covered the road at the time of the crash, but it is unclear what, if any, role that played in the crash, Frost said. Police continue to investigate what caused Reeve’s Durango to cross into the westbound lane.
A section of the road was closed briefly immediately after the crash as traffic was diverted onto Stanley and Metcalf roads. The detour was lifted after 20 minutes and traffic was reduced to one lane around the crash until about 11 a.m.
Both vehicles were destroyed in the crash. The plow on Leighton’s truck was crinkled and bent from the impact. A sizable debris field of vehicle parts scattered across the westbound lane.
The crash occurred two weeks after a March 6 head-on crash on the same road in nearby Monmouth that claimed the life of a Mount Vernon woman. Both crashes occurred within a few minutes of 7:30 a.m. on the highway that gets heavy commuter traffic.
Winthrop and Monmouth police have each responded to three crashes on U.S. 202 this month. Three of those six crashes have involved head-on or near head-on collisions involving a driver crossing the center line. The crashes have left two people dead and four others injured.
Craig Crosby — 621-5642
Twitter: @CraigCrosby4
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