Shawn Nutt of Vassalboro was killed Tuesday when the SUV he was driving left the Eaton Mountain Road in Skowhegan and struck a tree head-on, according to Skowhegan police Chief David Bucknam. Photo courtesy of Skowhegan police

SKOWHEGAN — A Vassalboro man died Tuesday after the SUV he was driving struck a tree on the Eaton Mountain Road in Skowhegan, according to police.

Skowhegan police Chief David Bucknam said in a news release that officers were called around 5:30 a.m. following the report of the single-vehicle crash near 357 Eaton Mountain Road.

Killed in the crash was Shawn Nutt, 51, who was the only occupant in the 2006 silver Nissan Xterra.

Nutt was driving north on the road, where the speed limit is 45 mph, when “his vehicle left the roadway and had a head-on collision with a tree,” Bucknam said.

“(Nutt) was not wearing a seat belt, therefore the airbag deployment was unable to stop Shawn from impacting with the windshield,” Bucknam said. “It appears Shawn may have been distracted with an electronic device, which appears to be the cause of the crash.”

The Skowhegan Fire Department assisted police at the scene. The crash remains under investigation.