Franklin woman dies after Route 182 crash

FRANKLIN – A local woman was killed Saturday morning when she drove into oncoming traffic and collided head-on with a car carrying a couple from Tennessee.

Cecilia Diane Smith, 45, of Franklin was driving east on Route 182 in her Ford Focus when she drifted across the centerline, striking a Honda Accord in the westbound lane driven by William Pendergrass, 60, of Crossville, Tenn., according to Trooper Carleton Small of the Maine State Police.

At about 10:20 a.m., the cars struck with enough force to propel Pendergrass into the ditch and send Smith’s vehicle back into her own lane.

However, police do not believe that speed was a factor in the accident.

The portion of Route 182 where the accident occurred has a speed limit of 45 mph, and no skid marks exist to indicate either vehicle was traveling faster, Small said.

Smith, who was not wearing a seat belt, was conscious when the first witnesses came upon the accident scene. However, she passed out shortly before ambulances arrived, likely due to a loss of blood resulting from cuts she suffered in the accident, Small said.

Pendergrass and his wife, Lana, 56, both were wearing seat belts and suffered minor injuries to their upper bodies.

An extrication device was required to remove Mrs. Pendergrass from the vehicle. Both were taken by ambulance to Maine Coast Memorial Hospital in Ellsworth.

Police do not believe alcohol was a factor in the accident but suspect that Smith’s regimen of prescription medication could have caused her to become drowsy while driving.

Personnel from County Ambulance, the Franklin and Ellsworth fire departments and the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department assisted state police at the scene.