Levant man killed in Alton car crash

ALTON – A Levant man was killed and two people were injured Friday after a van crossed the centerline on Route 16 and collided with a pickup truck.

Joseph Thurston, 40, was a passenger in a van driven by Jose Vazquez, 29, of Milo. The van was traveling west when it drifted across the line and struck a pickup truck driven by Nicholas Moulton Jr., 25, of LaGrange, according to police.

Thurston was partially ejected from the van and was transported by Old Town ambulance to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor where he later died, according to Sgt. Bill Birch of the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office.

Vazquez suffered multiple injuries and was transported by LifeFlight helicopter to EMMC. His condition was not available at press time. Birch said Vazquez had broken bones in his legs and fractured hips.

The 2 p.m. accident prompted the closure of a section of Route 16 near the Alton and LaGrange town lines for more than four hours during the day as investigators looked into what happened.

Moulton, the driver of the truck, had comparatively minor injuries, according to Birch. Moulton was taken to EMMC where he was treated and released.