LEWISTON – Several witnesses came forward Thursday to give police their versions of a crash that claimed the life of a motorcyclist Wednesday on Main Street.

A third vehicle may have contributed to the 8 p.m. wreck that killed 44-year-old Larry F. Mathieu, police said.

Investigators now believe Mathieu was driving his bike north on Main Street when it collided with a car driven by 21-year-old Nick Danforth of Lewiston.

Danforth was pulling from Frye Street onto Main at the time of the crash, police said. A truck turning in front of Mathieu may have distracted one or both of the other drivers.

“A driver has come forward and said he was in the process of turning from Main Street onto Frye at the time of the accident,” Lewiston police Lt. Tom Avery said Thursday. “We’re still in the process of interviewing other witnesses, as well. Several of them have come forward today.”

It was unclear Thursday whether Mathieu was trying to drive around the turning vehicle at the time of the crash.

Maine state police were assisting with the crash investigation. A reconstruction of the crash scene was complete by Thursday morning. Vehicle forensic experts were planning to examine Mathieu’s Harley and Danforth’s Volvo for possible defects. Investigators were also awaiting the results of blood-alcohol tests taken shortly after the crash.

“Those are mandatory by law for all drivers involved in fatal accidents,” Avery said. “We’re being as thorough as we can be. We want to be fair to everyone involved. It’s important to everybody, including the families of the victims.”

Police were forwarding their findings to the district attorney’s office. That is not a sign of certain prosecution, Avery said. It is only another way of ensuring that the investigation covers all aspects of the wreck.

Mathieu, who graduated from Lewiston High School and worked at Bath Iron Works for nearly three decades, died at Central Maine Medical Center roughly a half hour after the wreck. Police said he was not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.

Investigators talked to Danforth and a passenger in his car as they began their probe. Friends said the pair had just finished playing tennis shortly before the wreck.

Meanwhile Thursday, police were also investigating another motorcycle crash that claimed the life of 27-year-old Corey Sturgis the previous night. Police said Sturgis was driving alone on his Honda when he lost control of the bike on Foss Road.

Investigators said several of Sturgis’ friends were watching him ride when he crashed. They were later questioned.

“It was a very traumatic event for everyone involved in that scene,” Avery said.

Laurie Cyr-Martel, the Police Department’s crisis worker, was sent to the scene of both crashes. At Foss Road, she consoled a young woman grieving over the death of Sturgis. The woman was taken to a hospital for evaluation and later released.

The dead-end section of Foss Road is known as a gathering spot for young people and their vehicles, police said. Sturgis was also riding without a helmet when he crashed, police said.

The back-to-back fatalities Wednesday night sapped police staffing as officers were sent from scene to scene. It also took an emotional toll as the officers dealt with the victims and the families of those who killed.

“The officers are dealing with people of their own age,” Avery said. “But they need to be professional, and they need to get things done as they need to be done. They’ve done an excellent job.”