Press Releases

Contact: Edie Smith, Spokesperson
Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
284 State Street
41 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333

Media representatives can receive press releases via e-mail.

Telephone: work (207) 592-4348

Fax: (207) 287-6395

April 9, 2009

New Vineyard Woman Seriously Injured in ATV Accident

Augusta, Maine - A 65-year-old New Vineyard woman was seriously injured this morning (April 9, 2009) when she came off of her ATV after trying to avoid a sinkhole while riding down her private gravel driveway off of Pratt Mountain Road.

Wilma Touchette, 65, of New Vineyard, left her home at approximately 8:10 a.m. en route to work at a small business she owns with her husband, Ronald. The Touchettes park their cars on solid ground at the end of their gravel driveway and use ATVs to travel to and from their home.

Mrs. Touchette was driving her Arctic Cat four-wheeler when she encountered the pothole and tried to ride around it, according to Game Warden Dan Christianson, who is investigating the incident.

A family friend told Warden Christianson that the sinkhole formed overnight.

Approximately 40 minutes later, Mr. Touchette was riding his ATV down the driveway to his parked car, and noticed his wife lying on the ground with head injuries. Mrs. Touchette was not wearing a helmet.

Emergency services were contacted, and the Maine Warden Service received notice of the incident at 9:08 a.m. LifeFlight was called immediately as Mrs. Touchette was transported to Franklin Memorial Hospital. She then transported by LifeFlight to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston.

The incident is under investigation.

DEPARTMENT INFORMATION

Press Releases