HARRISON — A 73-year-old Otisfield woman was killed Wednesday morning when her car collided with a van at the intersection of Route 117 and Temple Hill Road.

The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office said Eleanor L. Flagg of 74 Crooked River Road was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after 11 a.m.

“She had serious trauma to her head,” Capt. Jeff Davis said.

Flagg’s 2002 Ford Focus and a 2008 Ford van owned by Johnson Controls Inc. of Augusta collided. The van was driven by 44-year-old John C. Ainslie of 1107 Summer Haven Road, Augusta, who was not hurt, officials said.

Inattention on the part of Flagg may be a contributing factor in the crash, Davis said.

Harrison Assistant Fire Chief Dana LaPlante said Ainslie, who was seen talking on the phone after being pulled from the woods, was not injured.

Capt. Davis said the van was traveling on Route 117 toward Harrison village when Flagg’s car pulled out of Temple Hill Road and was struck broadside.

Both vehicles ended up in the woods on the Bolsters Mills Road side of Route 117. Bolsters Mills Road and Temple Hill Road intersect on opposite sides of Route 117 at that location.

An accident reconstruction team was still trying to determine what happened late Wednesday afternoon.

“It’s possible she did not see the stop sign but we have no independent witnesses telling us that,” Davis said. There are stop signs on Temple Hill and Bolsters Mills roads.

LaPlante said the intersection is one of the most dangerous in town.

“There have been many fender benders there,” he said. Because motorists driving on the straight roads toward Route 117 see the other road directly ahead, sometimes the roads can be mistaken as one and drivers continue across Route 117 without stopping, he said.

The intersection is also dangerous because cars headed south toward Harrison village and descending  a hill toward the four-way intersection may be going quite fast, he said. “It’s quite hard to judge how quickly someone is coming down the hill,” LaPlante said.

No citations have been issued, Davis said.

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