MOUNT CHASE – A local man died Sunday when he failed to negotiate a curve on Route 159 in Shin Pond village and his vehicle struck a steep ditch head-on.

Frank Spranzo, 49, was declared dead at the scene when police arrived at 6:45 a.m. Sunday. The accident was discovered by a neighbor in the vicinity of the crash.

Trooper Darren Foster of the Maine State Police said the accident is believed to have occurred between 1:45 and 2 a.m. because a homeowner nearby told police that he heard a noise at the time but could not see anything out of the ordinary.

Spranzo had been southbound when the vehicle left the road and hit the embankment of the ditch, the officer said.

The driver war not wearing a seat belt, he said. Spranzo’s 1992 S10 Blazer was demolished.

Spranzo’s body was taken to Bower Funeral Home in Island Falls.

No autopsy is planned, although the death is still under investigation, Foster said.