Ellsworth accident under investigation

ELLSWORTH – The cause of a horrific car accident late Friday night that orphaned three young children remained unknown Monday.

Ellsworth police Lt. Harold Page said a 1993 Chevrolet Suburban that was heading south on Route 1A drifted across the centerline and into the path of a 2003 Dodge Durango shortly after 10 p.m.

The SUVs collided head on about a mile from the center of Ellsworth, killing the Suburban’s driver, Cory Openshaw, 30, and his female passenger, Stacey Collins, 32, both of Sullivan.

The couple’s three children, age 2, 7 and 10, were in the back seat of the Suburban and all suffered serious injuries. Each was taken by LifeFlight helicopter to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, but Page did not have an update on their condition Monday.

The driver of the Durango, Alberta Farthing, 42, of Holden, was treated for leg injuries at Maine Coast Memorial Hospital in Ellsworth.

“We’re still trying to determine why the Suburban drifted into the other lane,” Page said. “We may never know.”

Police said all five passengers in the Suburban were wearing seat belts. Speed or alcohol were not considered factors, Page said. Ellsworth police Officer Shawn Willey will continue investigating the accident.

An uncle of Openshaw and other family members were contacted over the weekend, Page said, but he wasn’t sure who would take custody of the children.

Friday’s deaths were the ninth and 10th motor vehicle fatalities in Hancock County so far this year, but the first in Ellsworth in more than a year.

Ellsworth’s last fatal accident was Aug. 11, 2006, when an elderly man driving a pickup truck was struck by another vehicle. That crash also occurred on Route 1A.