A Gorham man driving a limousine on the Maine Turnpike was one of two people who died Monday night in a collision with a vehicle driving the wrong way.
James McLaughlin, 65, the driver of a Lincoln Town Car traveling northbound on the turnpike, was struck by a sport utility vehicle taveling south in the northbound lane at around 11 p.m. McLaughlin was bringing Steven Campbell and his son, Cooper Campbell, 15, back to Maine from Logan Airport in Boston.
Cooper Campbell was also killed in the accident. Steven Campbell was transported to Maine Medical Center in Portland, where he was listed in satisfactory condition Wednesday. According to a family friend, Steven Campbell is the brother of Don Campbell, a well-known Maine musician who leads the Don Campbell Band.
Police said Donna Bartlett, a 38-year-old York resident, was the driver of the SUV. She was tranported to Maine Medical Center and treated for a broken ankle.
On Wednesday, McLaughlin was remembered as a good friend.
“He was the greatest guy I knew,” said Ron Hood of Benton, who knew McLaughlin for eight years. “He was the best there was.”
Steve McCausland, spoksman for the Maine State Police, said McLaughlin was driving a car owned by Maine Limousine Services of Portland.
Teale Smith, owner of Maine Limousine Service, issued a prepared statement Tuesday:
“We are devastated by the senseless and tragic accident on Monday evening. Jim McLaughlin was an esteemed employee of Maine Limousine Service, a wonderful man and a highly regarded chauffeur. The void left in the lives of his family, friends, and colleagues cannot be described.”
The accident remains under investigation, and so far no charges have been filed against Bartlett. However, details surrounding the crash have emerged over the last couple of days.
Monday night, state police received several calls from motorists, alerting them to the situation. Major Dale Lancaster of the Maine State Police said Wednesday that Bartlett had grazed one or two other vehicles before she crashed into the Town Car.
McCausland said State Trooper Philip Alexander traveled parallel to Bartlett on the southbound side of the turnpike for two miles with his lights flashing, in an attempt to get Bartlett to pull over.
“There was no indicaton that (Alexander) detected that she ever saw him,” said McCausland.
The collision happened between miles 16 and 14 on the northbound side of the turnpike. Both Campbell and McLaughlin were pronounced dead at the scene.
The Campbells live in Portland, where Cooper Campbell was a student at Cheverus High School. The family had formerly lived in Scarborough. McLaughlin, who had lived in Gorham about eight years, leaves his wife, Lorraine McLaughlin. They had been married seven years.
McLaughlin had three children, Alyson Knox of Falmouth, Doug McLaughlin of New Hampshire, and Jessica McLaughlin, 16, who is a student at Greeley High School in Cumberland; and one grandson Elijah Knox, 7.
“He could be tough but you always knew he loved you,” said Alyson Knox, remembering her father.
She said he had a good sense of humor, enjoyed photography and was an antique car buff. He owned several vintage cars over the years.
“He enjoyed an old Thunderbird,” Knox said.
McLaughlin belonged to the Unitarian-Universalist Church on Allen Avenue in Portland and was a member of the Odd Fellows lodge. His daughter said her father was recognized everywhere he went.
“He knew everybody,” she said.
McLaughlin had worked as a pipefitter and had owned a Napa store in Yarmouth.
Funeral services for McLaughlin had not been finalized by American Journal deadline.
When state police finish an investigation, the case will be turned over to the York County District Attorney’s Office, which will determine what charges, if any, will be filed. State police have 30 days to get the report to the district attorney.
Reporters Emily Devlin and Robert Lowell contributed to this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
