Bangor man dies in collision Driver crosses centerline of Route 175 in Penobscot

PENOBSCOT – A 26-year-old fisherman from Bangor was killed when his car crossed the centerline on Route 175 and hit an oncoming vehicle Thursday morning.

Police identified the deceased as Benjamin B. Tardiff.

The head-on collision happened shortly before 8 a.m., just south of Johnson Point Road in an area that some resident say is notorious for accidents.

Police said Tardiff was driving a blue 1991 Mercury Tracer south on Route 175 when he hit a white 1990 Subaru Legacy driven by Beverly Lee, 62, of Brooksville.

Lee suffered a broken leg, police said. Tardiff’s passenger, 31-year-old David Joyce, also of Bangor, suffered serious head and leg injuries.

Police described Tardiff’s injuries as “major body trauma.”

Firefighters from the Penobscot and Blue Hill fire departments responded to the scene to extricate Lee from her mangled vehicle. Crews had to cut the door off Tardiff’s car to get him out of his automobile.

The roadway and ditches were littered with car parts and other debris.

Both Lee and Joyce were taken by LifeFlight helicopter to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor. A hospital spokeswoman had no information about their conditions Thursday afternoon.

Traffic was detoured around the accident site for about three hours.

Police said Tardiff and Joyce were on their way to work when the collision occurred. Both men recently started working for a commercial fishing operation in the Deer Isle-Stonington area.

Hancock County Chief Deputy Richard Bishop said it is unclear why Tardiff drifted over the centerline. An impact point in the asphalt shows that the collision occurred to the left of the median.

“The primary cause [of the crash] was that he was operating left of center,” Bishop said. “We don’t know why.”

He said officers have no reason to believe alcohol was a factor in the crash. State law requires that blood tests be administered to all drivers involved in fatal collisions. The test results will be part of the investigation, which is being conducted by Bishop, Deputy Robert Morang, Lt. Patrick Kane and Detective Alan Brown, all of the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office. Maine State Trooper Jessica Shorey is assisting.

A couple who lives near the crash scene said several collisions occur in that area each year. It is particularly hazardous in the winter, they said.

“It is a really dangerous corner,” said Kris Grover, who heard about the crash when a passerby went to his house to call for help. “It’s a little sharper than people expect it to be. Most of the accidents that happen here are with bad weather conditions like rain and snow and ice.”

“The road could definitely be improved,” his wife, Karen, said.

Another fatal crash occurred in the same spot in August 2000, when Alan Talgo, his brother Vaughn and three other men were on their way to Stonington. Alan Talgo lost control of the car, which careened off the roadway, hit a telephone pole and was sheared in half. Vaughn Talgo, 20, died. His brother, who police said was speeding, was later convicted of manslaughter.