NEW GLOUCESTER — A local man succumbed to injuries Friday afternoon after crashing a four-wheeler near his home on Meadow Lane.

Wildlife investigators said Raymond Arthur “Buddy” Leavitt Jr., 62, was riding at about 4 p.m. when he crashed into a ditch approximately 4 feet deep. Leavitt was thrown from the ATV when he crashed, investigators said. One of his legs was broken and complications of that injury resulted in his death, according to Adam Gormley, a lieutenant with the Maine Warden Service.

Inland Fisheries & Wildlife spokeswoman Deborah Turcotte said Leavitt, who lived at 39 Meadow Lane, near the crash site, was riding alone when he crashed.

Meadow Lane runs between Cobbs Bridge and Woodman roads.

For decades, Leavitt was a frequent participant in racing at Oxford Plains Speedway. 

“He raced in Oxford for 25 or 30 years,” said Bob Morris of Auburn, who used to cover racing for the Sun Journal. “He started back in the early ’70s in the Charger Division.”

Later, Leavitt competed in the Late Model Division, winning numerous races in the 1990s and in 2004.

Leavitt leaves behind a wife, children and grandchildren.

The cause of the crash remained under investigation Friday night.