Motorcyle operator killed in Lewiston crash

LEWISTON — The operator of a motorcycle died Sunday evening as a result of injuries sustained in a head-on collision with a pickup truck at the corner of Fair and College streets in Lewiston.

The driver of the motorcycle, Christopher Moreno, 27, of Poland, was transported from the scene to Central Maine Medical Center and was treated for serious injuries, according to Lieutenant Kelly Hamel of the Lewiston Police Department. He died later in the evening.

Police took the driver of the pickup truck, Ronald Morin, 45, of Greene, to the police station for a legally mandated drug and alcohol test after the crash, according to Hamel. He was later charged with an OUI.

The crash occurred just after 5 p.m. Sunday at the intersection near Montello Manor.

Rudy Duplissis, a resident of College Street, said he could hear the motorcycle coming down the road.

“I mean, you can tell when a motorcycle’s going fast,” he said, “and no one goes the speed limit on the road.”

The motorcycle was crushed in the collision and the front of the truck was smashed in. Debris was strewn across the lawns of two adjacent homes. A police officer moved a motorcycle helmet that had been in the middle of the road to one of the lawns.

According to Hamel, the cause of the crash is still under investigation.

Lewiston Police and Fire departments responded to the scene. The intersection was blocked off while police investigated, and they had called for a reconstruction team, led by officer Jeremy Somma.