FARMINGTON – A Lincoln man was drunk the night his speeding car crashed and burned beside Route 27 in New Vineyard, attorneys at his manslaughter trial agreed Tuesday, but a jury will determine whether he was the driver.

Ryan Hurd, 23, has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter and aggravated criminal operating under the influence in connection with the Oct. 17, 2007, accident that killed Terry “TJ” Richardson, 34, of Dover-Foxcroft and seriously injured Chad Bernier of Medway, who was 30 at the time.

Hurd suffered a broken leg and collar bone.

The three men, employed by DBI Inc., a metal fabrication company in Lincoln, were working on the Poland Spring Bottling Plant project in Kingfield.

State police said Hurd was driving under the influence at nearly 100 mph when he lost control of his Pontiac Grand Prix. It left the road, hit a pole, overturned and burst into flames at about 1:20 a.m.

“One person died. One person suffered a broken neck, and one person walked away with minor injuries. That person is Ryan Hurd,” Assistant District Attorney James Andrews said in his opening statement.

Evidence will show that Hurd was driving the automobile, Andrews told the jury of 11 women and three men, including two alternates.

Defense attorney Richard L. Hartley said evidence show Hurd was not driving the car.

“He was drunk. No, he was hammered,” Hartley said. “He was black-out drunk.”

The men started drinking after work on Oct. 16, 2007, went to a Farmington bar at about 11:30 p.m., and were headed back to their Kingfield hotel when the accident occurred, Hartley said.

“Ryan Hurd did not avoid police,” his lawyer said. “He was ejected from the vehicle into the woods.”

Hurd’s blood-alcohol level two hours after the crash was 0.22 percent, nearly three times the legal limit, Hartley said.

Michael Dubay, a resident of Route 27 in New Vineyard, testified Tuesday that he heard someone yelling and swearing the morning of the accident and called 911, after the person said he had a broken leg. Dubay said he saw the car on fire, and the injured man told him there was another person in the car.

“I really got quite horrified,” Dubay said.

Former Farmington police officer Edward Hastings IV said he and Sgt. Shane Cote put the fire out and saw two people trapped in the car, one screaming and the other dead.

NorthStar Emergency Medical Services paramedic Stan Wilcox testified that Hurd made several comments, including, “They made me drive. I hope I didn’t kill them.”

Dr. Gregory T. Marshall testified that Richardson died of blunt force trauma to the head and soot asphyxiation.

The trial in Franklin County Superior Court is expected to continue this week, then recess until May 27.

A manslaughter conviction carries a penalty of up to 30 years in prison.