2-car crash on icy road kills all six

POLAND – Six people, all in their teens and 20s, were killed in a two-car collision on an icy two-lane highway in central Maine around midnight Saturday, authorities said.

The dead included four people in one vehicle and two in the other. There were no survivors.

One car apparently skidded on black ice on Route 122 and slid into the path of an oncoming vehicle, the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Department said.

The victims included Michael Cournoyer, 20, of Auburn, who was driving one of the vehicles, and his three passengers: Jacob Roy, 20, of Lewiston, Matthew Manley, 16, of Lewiston and Robert Bruce, 19, of Auburn.

Also killed were the other driver, Steven Walton, 27, and his girlfriend, Laura Caron, 26, both of Poland. Their dog also died in the crash.

Four people were dead at the scene and the other two died at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston.

The cause of the accident remained under investigation, and officials said it could take weeks or months for a determination. In accordance with standard protocol, alcohol tests were being performed on both drivers.

The crash occurred on a section of highway between Verrill and Bishop roads, and one resident said she was jolted by the noise.

“I heard a gunshot. Then I heard people screaming,” said Erica McLeod, 19, who lives near the accident scene. She said the crash occurred just after midnight, and within minutes she heard sirens and helicopters.

McLeod said Route 122, which has a 50 mph speed limit, was slippery Saturday night and her car spun 360 degrees on black ice when she returned home earlier in the evening.

The collision followed a period of rain that froze to the roadway, police said.