Funeral Home Employee Dies In Crash While Transporting A Body
A funeral home worker was killed when the transport van he was driving was struck from behind by another vehicle.
State Police say 59-year-old Richard Charest of Winthrop died at the scene. He was an employee of Knowlton and Hewins Funeral Home in Winthrop. Troopers say the van he was driving was hit from behind by a Hummer on Route 202 in Greene. The impact drove the van several hundred feet off the road, down an embankment, where it ran into a stand of trees. Charest was transporting a body back to the funeral home when the accident happened. Both he and the body remained inside the minivan.
The accident happened at around 6:00 Monday evening, near the intersection of Daggett Hill Road. The SUV was driven by 58-year-old Donald Asselin of Sabattus, who suffered minor injuries but didn't need immediate medical attention. Traffic was detoured for about 3 hours as troopers worked to reconstruct the scene.
The crash remains under investigation. State Police are asking that anyone who witnessed the crash to call their dispatch center in Gray at (207) 657-3030.