Four Maine Maritime Academy students killed in single-vehicle crash in Castine

[mahatmakanejeeves]

LOCAL & STATE Posted December 10 Updated December 11

Four Maine Maritime Academy students killed in single-vehicle crash in Castine

Three other students were injured early Saturday when their vehicle crashed and caught fire, police say.

BY EMILY ALLEN | STAFF WRITER

Four Maine Maritime Academy students were killed Saturday when their vehicle crashed and caught fire on Route 166 in Castine, according to Maine State Police. Three other students were injured. ... Police say a 2013 Range Rover driven by Joshua Goncalves-Radding of North Babylon, New York, was heading south on Route 166 when it left the road and struck a tree, erupting into flames.

“Four passengers in the vehicle were pronounced dead and taken to the Office of Chief Medical Examiner in Augusta,” according to a Maine State Police statement. ... Police identified those who died as Brian Kenealy, 20, of York; Chase Fossett, 21, of Gardiner; Luke Simpson, 22, of Rockport, Massachusetts; and Riley Ignacio-Cameron of Aquinnah, Massachusetts. ... Three other Maine Maritime students were sent to area hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries, including the driver, Goncalves-Radding; Noelle Tavares, 20, of North Falmouth, Massachusetts; and Dominick Gecoya, 20, of Middleton, Massachusetts.

“I am devastated to confirm that today Maine Maritime Academy lost four of our students in a single vehicle accident early this morning. Three others were injured,” academy president Jerry S. Paul said in a statement Saturday. “Our community is grieving for these young lives and for their families. While we have lost beloved members of our student body, tonight there are four families who have lost their children. … Please hold these young people close to your hearts and in your prayers.”

It’s unclear what led to the crash. A state police news release said a “full investigation is being conducted.” A section of Route 166 was closed for more than eight hours Saturday but has been reopened. ... Maine Maritime Academy is a small, public college located on the coast in Castine. Roughly 1,000 students are enrolled in courses related to engineering, management, science and transportation, according to its website. Many graduates have gone on to work in the merchant marine, and as engineers, supply chain managers and scientists. ... On Facebook, the Maine Maritime Academy Parents Association also acknowledged the crash.

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[jpak]

1. That's terrible

Those poor families

[bottomofthehill]

2. Loss of any life is sad

Loss of young lives only seems to make it worse.

[CentralMass]

3. That is tragic 😥

[OAITW r.2.0]

4. My son went to Maine Maritime. RTE 166/166A are the only way into Castine

Last edited Mon Dec 12, 2022, 07:47 PM - Edit history (1)

A particularly nasty road, especially at night. The road is really tight and lots of twists/turns with little to no shoulders.

I bought a new VW back in 2007. As soon as I got it, I went down to MMA to bring my son home for Thanksgiving break. On the way back up from Castine, we came around a bend and there, in the middle of the road, was a large buck. I was traveling 35/40 at the time and braked/steered toward the road edge to avoid hitting it. But dummy deer moved into my lane and hit me on the drivers side front quarter panel. We stopped and went up to what I thought was a dead deer, planning to move the carcass out of the road....turns out he was knocked out. Got up and stood there for about a minute trying to reorient itself ....then bounded off the road into the woods. There went the evidence of my accident.

Edited to add my condolences to these families. What a horrible thing to have to face during this holiday season. Many kids leave Castine to socialize in places like Bangor because there isn't many places in Castine. I know we were concerned about it with our son.

[2naSalit]

5. How sad!

When I was a kid we went, a few times, to Castine where family friends had a cabin/house with no plumbing, and spend a summer week there. I recall that the roads in and out weren't any better than our roads n our little seaside town down the coast in Casco Bay. Pretty treacherous, as described above. Old carriage roads through the woods paved over.