BELFAST – Six-year-old Starr Flagg of Belfast was killed Thursday afternoon when her mother’s compact car was rear-ended by a sport utility vehicle.

Stacy Cherry, 30, of Belfast was traveling west on Route 3 and had stopped to turn left onto the Edgecomb Road when her 1994 Ford Probe was hit from behind by a 1996 Chevrolet Suburban. Cherry and her front-seat passenger, Barrington Colson, 28, of Belfast complained of minor bumps and bruises, according to investigating Officer Brian Cunningham of the Belfast Police Department.

Cherry’s daughter Starr was riding in the rear seat and suffered massive internal injuries when she was thrown forward upon impact. It is unknown at this point in the investigation whether she was wearing a seat belt. Officer Cunningham said the girl was not secured in a safety seat.

Flagg was rushed to the Waldo County General Hospital by the Belfast Ambulance. Cherry and Colson were taken to the hospital by Waldo County Deputy Sheriff Merl Reed.

Claudia Richard, 42, of Belmont was the operator of the Suburban. She and her four children, ranging in age from 19 years to 5 months, were all wearing seat belts or in safety seats and were uninjured in the crash.

Cunningham said the accident occurred at 4:10 p.m. when both vehicles were traveling west into a brilliant setting sun. He said that Richard told him she never saw the Cherry vehicle until she ran into its rear end. The impact from the heavier sport utility vehicle drove Cherry’s compact forward 226 feet before it came to a stop, he said.

“She may have been blinded by the sun,” said Cunningham. “She didn’t know the car was even stopped in front of her. One of her kids had told her a door was opened and she turned around to check. That’s when she hit them.”

The accident happened as people were ending work for the day and slowed traffic on Route 3 for more than an hour. The speed limit on that section of highway is 50 mph and it appeared that there were no skid marks at the scene. The crash remains under investigation.