FARMINGTON — A Waterville woman was killed Monday morning when high winds caused a tree limb to crush the roof of her car while she was driving on Knowlton Corner Road.
Police Chief Kenneth Charles said Rochelle Hager, 31, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash after police were alerted to the incident by a neighbor at 833 Knowlton Corner Road.
She was heading southbound shortly before 10 a.m. when winds toppled the limb of a pine tree onto the roof of the 2015 Nissan Rogue she was driving.
She likely was killed instantly, Charles said. After the impact, the car appeared to have crossed the centerline and came to a rest in the northbound lane.
The road was closed for more than two hours, Charles said.
Before hitting the car, the tree branch came down on power lines, which snapped a nearby utility pole.
Hager was the sole occupant of the car and no other vehicles were involved, said Charles, who called the incident “tragic and unique.”
He said it was “obviously the direct result of the high winds today.” There was “nothing she could do to avoid it.”
In addition to police, Farmington Fire Department and Central Maine Power Co. responded to the scene, Charles said.
Police Patrolman Jeffrey Brann is investigating the incident, Charles said.
Winds gusting at more than 50 mph sparked power outages throughout the state, leaving nearly 2,000 Franklin County customers without electricity about noon Monday.

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