February 7

Excessive speed may have been a factor in Vienna crash

By Craig Crosby ccrosby@centralmaine.com
Staff Writer

VIENNA — A Farmington Falls woman killed in an early morning crash Wednesday on Tower Road may have been driving to her mother’s house, police said.


click image to enlarge

Police said a 2003 Mercury Mountaineer rolled over and crashed into trees early Wednesday morning in Vienna, killing the driver, Hilda Howe, 36, of Farmington Falls.

Photo courtesy of Maine State Police


Hilda Howe, 36, died when she was thrown from her vehicle as it rolled over several times until it hit trees. Howe, who was not wearing a seat belt, was pronounced dead at the scene.



State Trooper Diane Perkins-Vance said Thursday that Howe may have been heading to her mother’s house, which is at the other end of Tower Road. Perkins-Vance said Howe had left her home in Farmington Falls shortly after midnight. A passer-by reported the crash less than 30 minutes later.



Police think the crash was caused, at least in part, by excessive speed, according to a news release from the Maine Department of Public Safety.



Howe was alone in her 2003 Mercury Mountaineer as she drove south on Tower Road. She lost control of the SUV about a mile north of Bean Farm Road, and the Mercury rolled over several times, ejecting Howe, according to Perkins-Vance. The SUV stopped upright against trees.



Responding to the accident were Maine State Police, Mount Vernon Rescue and the Vienna Fire Department.



Craig Crosby — 621-5642
ccrosby@centralmaine.com

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