What we know about the Maine crash that killed 3 students, injured 2 others
“It's really a very emotional tragedy for everybody.”
A Maine community is reeling after a single-car crash in Clinton on Sunday claimed the lives of three young students and injured two others.Authorities identified the victims in the crash as Thomas Porfirio, 15, and sisters 14-year-old Emily Baker and 12-year-old Ashlin Baker. Two other occupants in the car, 12-year-old Naveah Wilson and the 16-year-old driver, whose name has not been released, were hospitalized following the crash. The driver’s inexperience and speed appeared to be factors in the crash, which remains under investigation, Clinton police said.All five young people are from Clinton.In a statement on Monday, the department thanked the community for the outpouring of support following the crash, calling the information “priceless.”“We take the care of citizens very seriously,” the department wrote on Facebook. “I want you to know that we personally met with the parents about the loss of their precious children, and we have prioritized following up with them or those close to them during this terrible time. … Hold your loved ones close and please do not take this very fragile life for granted!”Below, what we know about the crash and how the community is remembering the young lives lost in the tragedy that has shaken the Clinton community.
What authorities have said about the crash
Maine State Police via AP
Clinton police were called to the scene of the crash on Hinckley Road around 7 a.m. on Sunday, where responding officers found the car off the roadway. First responders discovered three of the five young people in the vehicle were already deceased at the scene.
The two survivors, Wilson and the driver, were taken to a local hospital for treatment. Clinton Police Chief Rusty Bell told the Morning Sentinel on Monday that Wilson was undergoing surgery for a broken femur and possibly broken hip, while the driver of the car suffered a broken collar bone.
“We are asking anyone who may have seen [anything] prior to the accident or had contact with any of the victims to please contact us as we work to piece together the events leading up to the accident,” police said.
The chief said anyone who had contact with the five students prior to the crash should contact his office at 207-426-9192.
Maine State Police said the crash was reported by another driver. The preliminary investigation indicates the car was traveling on a straight section of Hinckley Road, near its intersection with True Road, when the vehicle struck an icy patch on the roadway and went into an “uncontrolled skid,” striking a tree off the road on the passenger side.
State police said the 16-year-old driver’s name is being withheld as the investigation into the crash continues.
“The cause is likely to be driver inexperience and speed and the boy did not have a driver’s license,” police said.
The early investigation also indicates that the students had snuck out, with Bell telling the Sentinel that when the parents were notified about the crash, it appeared they were unaware the children were not home.
According to the newspaper, state police have no record of the driver having either a license or a learner’s permit and the results of toxicology tests are pending.
“Early indications are that they had made a plan to sneak out and ride around,” the chief told the Sentinel.
Clinton Police Cpl. Phil DiLuca told Boston.com on Tuesday that investigators are working to reconstruct a timeline of the victims’ lives in the 24 hours before the crash and that “hundreds” of tips from the community has been very helpful toward that end.
But investigators are still looking to interview Wilson, who remains hospitalized and receiving treatment.
“She’s going to be a key piece in putting the puzzle together,” DiLuca said of reconstructing the events leading to the crash.
The 16-year-old driver has been released from the hospital, he said.
How the victims are being remembered
All of the students involved in the crash attended either Lawrence Junior High School or Lawrence High School, Superintendent Roberta Hersom said in a statement on Sunday.“Our community is deeply saddened by the tragic loss of our students, sisters Ashlin and Emily Baker, and Thomas Porfirio,” she wrote. “Our hearts break for their families at this most unimaginably painful and difficult time, and through the grief they will face for their much beloved children.”Hersom said counselors were being made available to students, as well as additional support resources for students and families as school resumed following news of the crash.“Students, staff, parents, friends and community members of this district will continue to support one another, and seek assistance from the schools as much as is needed—I am certain that all those associated with this very special community will serve with heartfelt concern and caring,” Hersom wrote. “It is important that you know I thank you all for being part of our Bulldog Community—you are valued, and much appreciated for the good you do for our students.”
https://www.facebook.com/msad49/posts/1391366914400662?__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARBboWujxlPkSrTEp-q3V2NEGCLymKxYlUFWopORiX0Ckq5qTOU05-ci9YrVeJhEQzYUfdmWBXQ5QiHjXVWtIQhRlwIakSeBkDddFM1Bg4QwQWrfC5v9MV4xyLDnEayCMHt97cTnWGimtpKwUzw4W3un0oa4Ab13GQYAv4y_qqAVy4cb5Iy18k9ZVPivbjGY9r8V5FR7CuAYmuScySanZIZSoCIOEDFms0SLUjyH0QqkKLPKqmuB3YiFvXicPJmI6e51Vsb3oWHk7XkxY75japVUqfeus815yVzlUokxfGEnESgLkkvRXhU3AOds6KBHmzRQzw06QIzmWKCxQhU4cg&__tn__=-R
Vicky Bowring, who lives with the Baker family, told the Sentinel the two sisters were close and had a lot of the same friends.
“Emily was super outgoing — not a bit shy,” Bowring told the newspaper. “She loved everybody and everybody loved her. There was nothing she wouldn’t try and was very social. That was her life — her friends. She was very adventurous and loved to pull pranks.”
Twelve-year-old Ashlin, meanwhile, could be shy at first, but also loved pranks.
“Ashlin loved animals,” Bowring told the Sentinel. “She was vegan. She couldn’t stand that an animal was going to be hurt. She loved her dog, big Brutus.”
The girls were not supposed to be out, she told the newspaper. They lost their father in November in an accidental drowning and leave behind their mother and a 10-year-old brother.
Ashley Idamae Pouliot, Porfirio’s former sister-in-law, told the Sentinel the 15-year-old enjoyed spending time with family.
“Tommy was an all around fun loving kid, had many friends and enjoyed baseball very much,” she wrote to the newspaper. “He played from teeball thru the end of his young life. His father and older two brothers avidly coached him and he followed tradition in their steps.”
GoFundMe pages for the Baker sisters and Porfirio have been started to raise money for the children’s funeral expenses. Hundreds of people have donated, raising thousands in just a day.
I spoke with a family representative of two of the victims who asked me to share this poster. The two families who lost loved ones are accepting donations through the school system and GoFundMe’s. We will two more about how people are helping tonight on @WGME pic.twitter.com/ylxzheHocR
— Taylor Cairns (@TaylorWGME) February 10, 2020
Scores of commenters on the GoFundMe pages have left tributes to all three students.“Tommy was one of my best friends,” wrote Zack Burgess. “It hurts to see him gone at such a young age. I miss you [Tommy].”“I grew up down the street from Tommy’s older brother, Jake,” wrote Mark Beckim. “I spent most of my childhood at their house. Tommy was like another little brother to me. The last time I got to spend time with him was last summer playing a sport we all bonded over which is the game of baseball. I will always love ya Tommy.”“My son Zach Wentworth and the girls were very very close friends,” Michele Wentworth wrote. “My heart goes out to all of the families and friends. Zach is very heartbroken by this tragedy and loss of his dear close friends Emily and Ashlin.”“I [can’t] believe [it’s] Emmy and Ashlin,” wrote Jeanne Prescott.There’s nothing easy about the situation, DiLuca told Boston.com, but neighboring local agencies stepping up to help, and the outpouring from those within the community, has helped Clinton police tremendously as the investigation moves forward.DiLuca said the crash and loss of life has taken a “big toll” on the entire community.“It’s difficult,” he said. “It’s really a very emotional tragedy for everybody.”
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