A Wilton man who was driving with a suspended license died Wednesday and his passenger was hospitalized after a Manchester accident in which speed and alcohol were factors, police said.
Joshua Lavine, 31, was pronounced dead at the scene of the early morning crash on Granite Hill Road about half a mile west of the Hallowell line, said acting Lt. Aaron Hayden of the Maine State Police.
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Lavine’s passenger, 62-year-old William DeCastro of Chesterville, was taken by ambulance to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston, where he was in stable condition, Hayden said. Decastro is expected to recover, he said.
Both Lavine and DeCastro were drinking alcohol, and speed was also a factor in the crash, said Maine Department of Public Safety spokesman Steve McCausland.
The crash occurred shortly after midnight Wednesday as Lavine sped west on Granite Hill Road in a 2003 Hyundai Sonata. The car crested a rise in the road, veered off to the right, hit a large rock and was launched about 20 feet into the air, Hayden said.
“The vehicle struck several trees before sliding down the final tree and coming to rest on its roof,” he said. “It appears neither occupant was wearing a seat belt.”
One of the men — Hayden believed it was DeCastro — called 911 to report the accident.
“He said he was upside down and didn’t know where he was,” Hayden said.
McCausland said he wasn’t sure where Lavine and DeCastro had been or where they were heading at the time of the crash.
McCausland said Lavine’s driver’s license was suspended at the time of the accident for a number of violations, including operating after suspension and failure to pay fines.
Lavine was previously convicted of both operating under the influence and operating after suspension, according to court records.
Craig Crosby — 621-5642
ccrosby@centralmaine.com
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