DIXMONT – A Dixmont man was killed Friday afternoon after losing control of his pickup truck on a patch of ice.

Anthony Conti, 61, died in the accident on Route 143 after his 2000 Dodge pickup went off the side of the road and hit a patch of ice, Maine State Police Trooper Vicki Gardner said.

The vehicle then struck a mailbox and a utility tension wire, police reported. Conti’s wife of 41 years, Edith Conti, was in the truck but was not injured.

A passer-by used a cell phone to contact police, who received the call at 4:07 p.m.

Conti, a New York native and U.S. Army veteran, owned and operated a milk distribution company on Long Island for 10 years and was employed in the milk business for 40 years before retiring to Dixmont two years ago.