FAIRFIELD— A Starks man was killed in a head-on car collision on Norridgewock Road Wednesday night, police said.
James Murphy, 67, was driving north when a southbound truck crossed the center line and hit his 1998 Subaru Outback head-on, said Sgt. Matthew Bard of the Fairfield Police Department.
The driver of the truck, a 2003 Chevrolet pick-up, was Mark Bussell, 37, of Fairfield, according to Bard. He said there were no other passengers in either vehicle. Murphy was pronounced dead at the accident, which was reported at 4:48 p.m. Wednesday near the Norridgewock town line, he said.
Bussell was taken to MaineGeneral Medical Center’s Alfond Center for Health in Augusta, where he was treated for nonlife threatening injuries, said Bard.
Bard said the cause of the accident is unknown and is still under investigation. Police have not yet determined whether drugs or alcohol were a factor, he said, and police are also looking into whether it is possible that Bussell may have fallen asleep at the wheel.
A retired biochemist, Murphy moved to Starks from Boston in 1990 and operated a small dairy farm, according to Morning Sentinel archives. He served as chair of the town’s agriculture commission, the first organization of its type in the state that he helped launch last January. He also served on the town’s appeals board and owned properties in Waterville.
In September, Murphy helped start a project called Starks Farm Hands, a database of farmers looking for help and laborers looking for work, in an effort to connect more local people with employment.
The Fairfield Fire Department and Maine State Police also responded to the accident.
Rachel Ohm— 612-2368rohm@centralmaine.com
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