Alcohol and speed may have been factors in Saturday night’s double fatal, head-on crash on Route 17 in Roxbury, state police said Tuesday.

Killed were drivers Scott Kubic, 30, of Mexico, and Richard Thereau, 37, of Byron.

Two passengers – Ericka Kubic and Brandon Gotto – and a dog in Kubic’s totaled 1998 Chevy Blazer were rescued.

Kubic’s wife, Ericka, was listed in fair condition Tuesday at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston.

Gotto’s condition, which worsened Monday from serious to critical, remained the same Tuesday, a CMMC nursing supervisor said.

But the prognosis for both is believed to be good, said investigating state Trooper Scott Gosselin.

“I spoke with Ericka today, and she is doing OK,” Gosselin said late Tuesday afternoon.

Gotto’s family, he added, had told him they believe Gotto will recover, as well.

The dog, which was separated from the massive front-end wreckage by a cage grate in the SUV’s cargo bay, was believed to be relatively unharmed, Gosselin said.

A Roxbury animal control officer took the dog Saturday night and is holding it for its safety until the pet can be returned to its owners, he added.

Speed, alcohol

The wreck occurred on a short straightaway in a curvy stretch of road at 7:50 p.m. on Route 17 not far from Coos Canyon.

A 1995 GMC pickup, driven northbound by Thereau, crossed the center line, smashing into the Kubic’s southbound Blazer.

“Speed was a factor. Thereau was doing at least 63 mph at the time of the collision. That’s the safest assumption we have at this point,” Gosselin said.

The Blazer was traveling about 50 mph, he said.

“Witnesses have indicated that (Thereau) may have been operating erratically during the day, and that he had been drinking, but we don’t know yet to what extent he had been drinking,” Gosselin said.

Evidence at the scene indicated that Thereau may have lost control of the truck and overcorrected before the impact.

“Marks at the scene led us to believe that Thereau was driving in the ditch prior to the crash. Then, it looks like he overcorrected, and when the tires gripped the road, the truck just shot across the center line,” Gosselin added.

Damage absolutely horrible’

Both trucks sustained major front-end damage to the driver’s side.

“The vehicle damage was just absolutely horrible. The SUV vehicle you would think would hold up better than regular cars, but the dashboard was pushed upwards and right back into the driver’s seat and toward the passenger,” Gosselin said.

Gotto was the front-seat passenger in the Blazer; Ericka Kubic was in the back seat behind Gotto. Based on the injuries she sustained, police believe she was the only one wearing a safety belt.

Air bags went off in both vehicles, but had little effect.

“We don’t believe either driver was wearing seat belts, not that it would have made a difference, but in Thereau’s case, it might have helped him to survive,” Gosselin said.

Blood toxicology tests were performed on all four people, the results of which may not be known for weeks.

“We did blood tests on everybody. It’s protocol in cases like this where you can’t tell who the drivers were,” he added.

Emergency response system overstretched

Saturday’s wreck also stretched the River Valley area’s emergency medical service beyond its capacity.

Med-Care Ambulance, which was busy with other medical emergency calls at the time, was able to send only two of its five ambulances initially.

“When we arrived, the Blazer and pickup were both destroyed, and we were faced with people trapped in both vehicles,” said Med-Care Ambulance Director Dean Milligan.

He immediately called LifeFlight, requesting a medical helicopter from Lewiston to go directly to the crash site, and another from Bangor to go to Rumford Hospital.

He also called in every available rescue unit he could: Rangeley, Bethel, Andover and Tri-Town of West Paris. Fire departments from Roxbury, Byron, Rumford and Mexico were also summoned.

“Roxbury firefighters did an excellent job establishing command, Byron firefighters went to a nearby airfield to set up a landing zone, and members of Mexico’s fire department responded to the landing zone with a GPS unit and got the coordinates for the helicopter,” Milligan said.

We got lucky’

There is no mutual aid ambulance service near enough to Med-Care, which is based in Mexico and has a 266-square-mile coverage area, to respond directly to a scene in emergencies like Saturday night’s wreck.

“But we got lucky. We had a woman walk up to us there who said she is a physician’s assistant, and we used her to help with the woman. Another guy who was there is a registered nurse and an off-duty Med-Care EMT,” he added.

Scott Kubic, Milligan said, was pronounced dead on arrival. Thereau, he believes, may have gone into cardiac arrest in the Lewiston helicopter and was later pronounced dead at Central Maine Medical Center.

“The driver of the pickup truck was alive when we extricated him. He was the first to be LifeFlighted to CMMC,” he said.

Ericka Kubic and Gotto were taken by Med-Care to Rumford Hospital. The Bangor helicopter then flew Ericka Kubic first, because her injuries were initially believed to be more critical than Gotto’s, Milligan said.

The Lewiston helicopter returned to Rumford and transported Gotto.

“I don’t recall ever having that many critically injured patients involved in a wreck that tied up our service like that, but we made it through it,” he added.