A Mexico man was killed Wednesday after losing control of his 2025 Kawasaki motorcycle and striking an embankment on Park Street in Paris.

Carleton Merrill, 33, was driving south on the street, also known as Route 26, around 1:30 p.m. when he passed a vehicle, swerved to avoid striking another vehicle and left the roadway, police said in a news release Thursday.

He was transported to MaineHealth Stephens Hospital in Norway, where he died from his injuries, according to Paris police Chief Michael Ward.

Multiple agencies assisted Paris’ fire and police departments at the scene: Maine State Police, Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office and Oxford County Sheriff’s Office, which led an accident reconstruction of the crash.

Ward said speed appears to be a factor in the accident. The posted speed on that section of Route 26 between Paris and West Paris is 55 mph.

Merrill was the only person on the motorcycle. Ward said he could not comment if other vehicles or injuries were involved pending completion of the investigation.

Traffic was shut down for several hours Wednesday afternoon.

Anyone who may have witnessed the crash is asked to call the Paris Police Department at 207-743-7448.

This is the second fatal motorcycle accident in Paris in less than a month. On May 6, 21-year-old Zackery May died when he collided with a pickup truck. Speed and inexperience were cited as the cause of that crash.

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