THE FORKS — A Clinton man was killed in a single-vehicle car crash in The Forks Sunday morning, according to the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff’s Deputy Brian Crater found Joel Bishop, 31, dead inside a silver 2012 Toyota Camry on U.S. Route 201 at 6:10 a.m., according to a sheriff’s office news release. Police don’t yet know when or why the crash occurred.
Crater found the car after noticing skid marks crossing from the northbound lane to the southbound lane and over an embankment, according to the release.
The driver’s side of the car had extensive damage. Bishop, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was the only person in the vehicle.
The car left the road at a high rate of speed before hitting and snapping a utility pole, police said.
Police are still investigating the crash, and they are looking at speed and alcohol as possible factors, the release says.
The West Forks Volunteer Fire Department, which also responded to the crash, expressed its condolences on its Facebook page after the accident.
“Please know that our Chaplain, Pastor Heather Sylvester, is (available) for anyone that may need someone to talk to or just sit and listen and hold your hand through this time of grief,” the fire department’s post states.
Bishop was a Bingham native and 2004 Valley High School graduate, according to a Morning Sentinel article from 2014. He was an amateur boxer, a two-time Northern New England Golden Gloves finalist, and had a record of 10-4. Bishop made his professional boxing debut in October 2014 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston.
Madeline St. Amour — 861-9239
mstamour@centralmaine.com
Twitter: @madelinestamour
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