Three killed, three hurt in Presque Isle accident

PRESQUE ISLE – Three people were killed on Sunday and another three were injured when the cars they were in collided nearly head-on on U.S. Route 1.

Pronounced dead at the scene were Barbara Harmon, 78, and her husband, Philip Harmon, 81, both of Stockholm.

Raymond Harmon, 80, of Caribou, one of three passengers in the 1996 Oldsmobile driven by Barbara Harmon, was taken by Crown Ambulance to The Aroostook Medical Center in Presque Isle. He later was airlifted to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, where he died shortly after 10 p.m. Sunday while undergoing surgery.

Constance Harmon, 80, the wife of Raymond Harmon, suffered head injuries and a broken pelvis in the crash, according to police. She was transported to TAMC and later airlifted in critical condition to EMMC.

No information was available Monday on her condition, according to an EMMC spokesman.

Philip and Raymond Harmon were brothers.

Also in the car was Phyllis Anderson, 62, of Caribou. She initially was taken to TAMC with a broken femur and later transferred to Cary Medical Center in Caribou. She was listed in fair condition Monday.

Delores Sperry, 70, of Caribou, who was driving a 2001 Toyota, complained of pain as a result of the accident. She was taken by ambulance to TAMC, where she was admitted for observation, police said. She was listed Monday in stable condition.

The accident occurred at about 3:40 p.m. Sunday on Route 1 near the New Life Baptist Church. Sperry was traveling north when she lost control of her car on the slippery road. Her car slid into the southbound lane, where it collided almost head-on with Harmon’s car.

A third car, a 1999 Ford Taurus driven by Howard Donovan, 38, of Houlton, was headed south at the same time. Donovan was able to avoid the collision by driving off the road.

Donovan and his four passengers were not injured.

Barbara and Philip Harmon were in the front seat and had to be extricated from the wreck by the Presque Isle Fire Department using hydraulic rescue equipment, according to Officer Craig Holder of the Presque Isle Police Department. They were wearing seat belts.

Raymond Harmon, Constance Harmon and Phyllis Anderson were in the back seat and were not wearing seat belts, police said. Sperry also was wearing a seat belt.

Harmon and Sperry’s vehicles were demolished. There was no damage to Donovan’s car.

The Maine State Police assisted Presque Isle police in their investigation.