A 19-year-old Gorham man died late Friday in fiery car crash on Dingley Spring Road.
Derrick R. Cote, of 13 Stroudwater Falls Lane, lost control of the white Nissan Maxima he was driving south on Dingley Spring Road in West Gorham just before 11:30 p.m. Friday, according to police.
Cote’s car struck one tree and then stopped when it collided with a second tree. A neighbor who heard the crash tried to come to Cote’s rescue. After rushing to Cote’s car, he ran back to his car to try to find a knife to cut Cote from his car. However, when he returned to the vehicle, it was on fire, according to police.
When police and medics arrived at the scene, they couldn’t free Cote from the car because of excessive heat and smoke. Cote’s body had to be cut from the wreckage after Gorham firefighters put out the blaze.
Lt. Chris Sanborn of the Gorham Police Department said investigators didn’t know why Cote, who was alone in the car, had lost control of it.
Police did not immediately identify Cote as the victim of the crash. Sanborn said Tuesday the state medical examiner’s office identified the body.
Cote, who had been a student at Gorham High School, was the son of Robert E. and Yvette M. Cote. A memorial service was held at their home Wednesday. He’s remembered by his parents as a beloved son with “a huge heart of gold.”
Sanborn said the accident is still under investigation by Officer Mike Coffin. The first officer at the scene was Sgt. Dan Young, and Officer Brent Frank is reconstructing the accident.
Friends were asked to take balloons to be released in his memory at the service Wednesday or send contributions to The Center for Grieving Children, 49 York St., Portland.
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