Victims identified in Clinton car crash 12-year-old killed three, early Sunday morning
Two teenagers and a 12-year-old from Clinton, including two sisters, died Sunday morning in a crash where police said inexperience and speed were factors, with the teen driver not owning a license.
Two other teens were injured in the Hinckley Road crash, which happened around 7:16 a.m. Sunday, Public Safety spokesperson Steve McCausland said.
Thomas Porfirio, 15, Emily Baker, 14, and her younger sister, Ashlin Baker, all of Clinton, died at the scene, according to Clinton Police Chief Stanley W. Bell.
The driver, a 16-year-old Clinton boy, and passenger Naveah Wilson, 12, of Clinton are being treated at Maine Medical Center in Portland.
Police are not releasing the name of the driver as the crash investigation continues.
The victims were students at Lawrence High School and Lawrence Junior High School in Fairfield, according to School Administrative District 49 Superintendent Roberta Hersom.
State police spokesman Steve McCausland said that Nevaeh Wilson, 12, of Clinton was injured along with the driver, a 16-year-old Clinton boy. His name was being withheld Sunday as investigators and the district attorney’s office reviewed the crash investigation. They were being treated at Maine Medical Center in Portland for injuries that were not life-threatening.
McCausland said the driver did not have a driver’s license, a fact that could result in charges being filed against him by the DA’s Office.
“The cause of the crash, the specifics of what may have led to the crash, are all things that we continue to work on,” McCausland said Sunday night, adding that the Clinton Police Department is investigating where the youths had come from and where they were headed so early on a Sunday morning.
Later Sunday afternoon, SAD 49 Superintendent Roberta Hersom posted on the school district's Facebook page the memo she sent out to all staff members, saying, "Our community is deeply saddened by the tragic loss of our students, sisters Ashlin and Emily Baker, and Thomas Porfirio.
Our hearts break for their families at this most unimaginably painful and difficult time, and through the grief they will face for their much beloved children," Hersom wrote.
Response teams at Lawrence Junior High School and High School will meet with staff early Monday morning to prepare, and counselors will be available throughout the day.
Hersom also thanked neighboring school districts for their offer to help.
In a post Sunday night on Facebook, Bell asked for the public’s help. “We are asking anyone who may have seen anything prior to the accident or had contact with any of the victims to please contact us as we work to piece together the events leading up to the accident,” the police chief said.
State troopers said the car struck an icy patch on the road, went into an uncontrolled skid and struck a large tree on the passenger side of the 2007 Toyota Corolla.
The cause of the crash, which took place around 7:16 a.m., was likely speed and driver inexperience, according to McCausland.
A neighbor told News Center Maine that the noise from the impact of the car striking the tree sounded like a bomb going off.
"Students, staff, parents, friends and community members of this district will continue to support one another, and seek assistance from the schools as much as is needed—I am certain that all those associated with this very special community will serve with heartfelt concern and caring. It is important that you know I thank you all for being part of our Bulldog Community—you are valued, and much appreciated for the good you do for our students," she wrote.
The car hit an icy patch, went into an uncontrolled skid and hit a large tree on the passenger side of the car, which was totaled.
The crash happened near the intersection of Hinckley Road and True Road.
“It’s hard to stand here and not break down into tears,” Norman Prosper of Clinton told the television station. Prosper said his grandchildren were friends of the crash victims.
The crash was reported by another driver. Several state troopers and accident reconstructionists rushed to the scene and were working with Clinton police, authorities said.
