A Sanford man was killed Wednesday afternoon in Berwick when his car was rear-ended and pushed into the path of a Marshwood School District bus. The bus wasn’t carrying students.
Jeremiah Smith, 31, was pronounced dead at Wentworth-Douglass Hospital in Dover, New Hampshire. His identity was released Thursday in a post on the department’s Facebook page.
Smith was turning at the intersection of Portland Street (Route 4) and Old Route 4 in Berwick around 1:39 when a SUV operated by 42-year-old Paula Hawker of Sanford rear-ended his 2006 Ford Fusion, police said.
The impact pushed Smith’s car into the path of an MSAD 35 school bus operated by 75-year-old John Sullivan of Kittery.
MSAD 35 Superintendent Mary Nash issued a statement to the school community following the crash.
“Fortunately no students were on the bus at the time. The driver of our school bus is shaken, but uninjured,” Nash wrote.
The district includes students from the towns of Eliot and South Berwick.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation and no charges have been filed.
Berwick police are encouraging the public to contact them with any information they might have regarding the circumstances that led to the fatal collision.
Anyone with information about the crash should call Sgt. Jeffrey Pilkington or Detective Wilfred Vachon at 698-1136.
The Berwick and South Berwick police departments, Maine State Police, and local fire departments responded to the accident.
Dennis Hoey can be contacted at 791-6365 or at:
dhoey@pressherald.com
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