Veazie man dies in dirt bike collision

ALTON – A Veazie man riding a dirt bike in a gravel pit off Route 16 died Monday after a head-on collision with another bike driven by his roommate.

Narada Michaud, 25, originally from Madawaska, was taken to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor on Monday night but was pronounced dead shortly after his arrival, said Mark Latti, spokesman for the state Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

The rider of the other bike, John Thibeault Jr., 20, of Veazie suffered a broken right wrist and a cut above his right eye in the collision. Thibeault also was taken to EMMC.

Wardens Dave Georgia and Sgt. Dan Menard responded at about 5:30 p.m. after Michaud’s girlfriend, Ashley Collins, 18, made a call to police. Collins watched the accident unfold while seated in a pickup truck at the gravel pit, Latti said.

“It appears that while Michaud was doing a wheelie, Thibeault went over a hump and they both collided head-on,” Latti said. “It doesn’t look like alcohol or drugs were a factor.”

Latti said Michaud died as a result of “head and chest injuries.” He added that both men were wearing helmets. He did not know how fast they were going.

Neither Michaud’s Suzuki 125 nor Thibeault’s Honda CR 250 was registered, Latti said. The gravel pit, owned by Sargent & Sargent Inc. of Hampden, was considered private property and the two men did not have permission to ride there, Latti said.

The Maine Warden Service is responsible for handling all off-road accidents. There have been eight off-road fatalities this year, Latti said.