MARIAVILLE – An Aurora mother and her 5-year-old son suffered serious injuries Saturday when their car went off the road and rolled over several times on Route 179.

Jennifer Beede, 25, and Joshua Young were both in critical condition Sunday at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor.

The accident occurred before 5 p.m. on a remote section of Route 179 in Mariaville near the town of Osborn.

Trooper Carleton Small of the Maine State Police said Beede was driving in the northbound lane when her blue 1998 Dodge Neon left the roadway “for some reason” and drifted into the ditch.

The car hit an embankment, went airborne and rolled over several times before coming to a stop near the woods line.

Police said Beede, who was not wearing a seat belt, was ejected from the vehicle at some point, and her body was found lying in the ditch several feet away by another driver who happened upon the crash scene.

The passer-by also reported seeing the young boy walking around the crumpled car.

Beede suffered internal injuries and massive head trauma, police said. Initially, the boy’s injuries were reported as facial lacerations, but his condition deteriorated a short time later. Small said Joshua suffered internal injuries to his chest.

“He got worse as time went on,” Small said. “It appears he was not belted. At this point, we don’t think he was ejected from the car.”

A LifeFlight helicopter was dispatched from Lewiston to take the mother and son to the hospital in Bangor.

Debris littered the ditch and roadway Saturday evening as officers from the state police, Hancock County Sheriff’s Department and the Ellsworth Police Department worked in the dark to investigate the accident.

There were no witnesses to the crash. Small said the cause has yet to be determined.

Police also searched the woods and found the family’s dog.

The pet suffered minor injuries and was turned over to Beede’s relatives.