Police finish investigation into Lamoine teen’s death

LAMOINE – Police have determined the contributing factors to a June 20 accident that claimed the life of a teenaged bicyclist.

Janina Haslam, 14, was headed for the beach along Route 184 when she was struck from behind by a car driven by Natalie Barr, 81, of Lamoine.

The recent honors graduate from Lamoine Consolidated School was airlifted to Eastern Maine Medical Center but died later that night.

“Basically, driver inattention … was one factor,” Deputy Jason Lepper of the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department said Sunday. “The line of sight and basically the time and distance was sufficient to see the bike. [Barr] should have been able to see it. … She can’t really say why she didn’t see the bicycle.”

Another factor was that Haslam was found to be riding a couple of feet too far out into the lane.

Charges are not expected to be brought against Barr, Lepper said. The case will be reviewed by the Hancock County District Attorney’s office.

“We didn’t see any gross negligence,” he said.

Haslam was not wearing a helmet, but police said that that likely would not have made a difference in this case.

“The injuries were severe enough,” Lepper said.

Barr’s car has been released by the police and her license has not been suspended. Sheriff Department officials have sent an adverse driving report about Barr to the Secretary of State.

“We would like to have them review her ability to drive safely,” Lepper said.

The initial police investigation took almost two weeks, and Lepper anticipated that the final paperwork would be turned in to the DA’s office within the week.

“It’s not closed but we feel comfortable about the contributing factors,” he said.