Lovell motorcyclist killed; Harrison man critically hurt in crash

PORTER — A motorcyclist from Lovell was killed and another from Harrison critically injured Sunday night in an accident on Route 160.

Chief Deputy Dane Tripp of the Oxford County Sheriff's Office said he was called to the scene at about 5:45 p.m. He said Patrick J. Cadigan, 52, of Lovell and 51-year-old Benjamin Church of Harrison were riding around a sharp curve when Cadigan's bike crossed the centerline and collided with a 2005 Honda CR-V sport utility vehicle.

Cadigan was thrown from his 2002 Harley-Davidson and died of blunt force trauma at the scene. Church laid down his 1997 Harley-Davidson to avoid a collision and was thrown from the motorcycle and landed in a ditch.

A nursing supervisor at Maine Medical Center in Portland said Monday night that his condition was critical. He underwent surgery Sunday night, Tripp said.

The SUV driver, 60-year-old Donald H. Burrell of Lebanon, N.H., suffered minor injuries in the accident, as did his wife, Dana Burrell. Both were taken to MMC and had been discharged by Monday afternoon.

Tripp said the SUV had extensive damage to the left front and windshield. The vehicle's air bags deployed, and the Burrells were wearing seat belts, he said.

Neither Cadigan nor Church was wearing a helmet.

Sgt. Matthew Baker, Deputy Dennis Ryder, Sheriff Wayne Gallant and Tripp responded to the accident, along with Trooper Dan Hanson of the Maine State Police and Joe Cormier, a dispatcher with the Oxford County Regional Communications Center, who was visiting Hanson.

The Porter Fire Department also responded, and the highway was closed for about three hours.

mlangeveld@sunjournal.com