MEDWAY — Maine Warden Service investigators sought public help Saturday as they attempt to reconstruct a fatal ATV accident that had its traces obliterated by thunderstorms.
An off-duty East Millinocket police officer found 50-year-old Gene Smith of Medway lying next to an upended Arctic Cat all-terrain vehicle in a wooded area near Rockabema Road just before 8 p.m. on Friday, warden service Sgt. Alan Gillis said.
Smith was conscious and bleeding at that point. East Millinocket police and firefighters arrived shortly thereafter and the man was taken to Millinocket Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead several hours later, Gillis said.
The fact that Smith was apparently riding his ATV alone, and the rain that came with the storms, leave accident investigator Warden Jim Davis in an unenviable position, Gillis said.
“We had thundershowers last night that obliterated all tracks, so there is very little evidence at the scene of where he [Smith] was even going at the time,” Gillis said Saturday. “Normally we can tell a lot from a scene but we can’t do much with this one.
“We do the best we can. These scenes can be hard to deal with, especially when they [accidents] are not witnessed,” Gillis added.
Anyone who might have seen the accident or Smith shortly before it happened is asked to call game wardens at their Ashland office at 435-3231, Gillis said.
Smith was not wearing a helmet and might not have had any other safety gear with him, said Gillis, who did not know the name of the East Millinocket officer who found Smith.
A call to the East Millinocket police and fire departments was referred back to the wardens on Saturday afternoon.
Gillis complimented the officer and the police and fire departments for helping Davis and Smith as much as they could at the scene. The police and firefighters tried to help him make several determinations about the accident and what led to it, Gillis said.
Davis will try to reconstruct the route Smith took and the accident scene to determine what caused the accident, Gillis said.
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