Three people died in a crash at about 7 a.m. Monday on County Road in Westbrook, where icy roads had been reported. Westbrook Police Department photo
WESTBROOK — Police in Maine say the results of an investigation into a deadly traffic crash involving a taxi and a pickup truck will not likely be available for weeks.
The crash happened Monday morning on the border of Scarborough and Westbrook. It killed 39-year-old Hassan Idris Ali of Lewiston, who was driving the taxi, as well as 50-year-old Gregory Harriman of Sebago and 33-year-old Joshua Stone of Gorham.
One of Ali’s friends, who asked to be called only Arte, said Tuesday he had spoken with Ali’s family, who declined to comment.
“Hassan was one of my best friends, and his family is grieving right now,” Arte said. “Other than that, we have no comment.”
Reached on his cellphone Monday night, Omar Mohamed, one of Orange Taxi’s owners, would not talk in detail about where Ali had picked up his passengers and where they were heading. Mohamed said he was with a group of people who were “mourning the tragedy.” He declined to comment further.
Ali is an asylum seeker, who fled his East African country of Djibouti about three years ago for political reasons, said Jama Mohamed, Director of Family Services for Maine Immigrant and Refugee Services in Lewiston.
Ali and his wife, Haboun Ibrahim, lived in San Diego for a couple of months, before moving to Lewiston in early 2017. The couple have a 2-year-old daughter, who was born in Lewiston. Over time, Ali and Mohamed grew close and became friends.
Mohamed said he was shocked to learn of Ali’s death. He said Ali had only been driving for the taxicab company for a couple of months to earn some extra money to support his family. He described Ali as being a self-sufficient person.
“He was eager about starting a new life here and being able to support his family,” Mohamed said.
The driver of the pickup, 60-year-old Lisa Libby of Hollis, was taken to Maine Medical Center for injuries. Her condition was unavailable.
Police said they were working to reconstruct the scene of the accident. They’ve said black ice likely played a role in the collision.
Portland Press Herald reporter Matt Byrne contributed to this report.
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