STANDISH – A 48-year-old Standish man was taken to Maine Medical Center in Portland early Sunday with a head injury suffered after his car went out of control on Route 35.

The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the wreck, which happened as police had started a pursuit of a car they said was seen speeding. One deputy estimated the 2004 Volkswagen Jetta was traveling at 90 to 100 miles per hour.

The crash occurred shorting after 1 a.m. Sunday.

The operator, Wayne Rowe, was taken by the Standish Rescue Unit to the hospital. He was listed in critical condition, according to WSCH TV, Channel 6.

Just before 1 a.m., two Cumberland County deputies were sitting in the parking lot of Patches Variety on Route 35 in Standish when they was a small vehicle traveling southbound at an extremely high rate of speed, according to Chief Deputy Kevin Joyce. The deputies attempted to catch the vehicle in question as the operator continued to pass other vehicles until it began to skid then crashed.

The left the roadway, rolled twice then came to rest on four wheels. No other vehicles were struck.

An accident re-constructionist from the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office estimated the speed of the 2004 Volkswagen Jetta to be approximately 89 miles per hour during the first part of the vehicle’s skid.

Joyce said Rowe’s license was under suspension and he refused to submit to a blood alcohol test at the scene.

Rowe “has a fairly extensive driving history,” said Joyce, with 16 convictions including an operating under the influence conviction in 1998 and 14 suspensions. Also, Rowe has a history of at least one failure to submit to a chemical test in the past.

The investigation into the crash is continuing, with charges pending.