A female passenger on a motorcycle was killed in a crash Sunday evening in the area of 270 Kennebec River Road in the Somerset County town of Embden, west of U.S. Route 201.
The accident, reported at about 5:50 p.m. Sunday, brought firefighters and emergency personnel from the neighboring towns of Anson and Solon as well as from nearby Madison. Maine State Police and the Somerset County Sheriff’s Department responded to the scene.
Sheriff’s deputies at the scene learned that a motorcycle driven by Robert Searles, 51, of Winslow, had been traveling north on Kennebec River Road with a group of several other motorcycles. Brandy Lilly-Bizier, 38, also of Winslow, was a passenger on the back of the motorcycle, a 2009 Harley Davidson.
Searles told deputies that he lost control of the motorcycle as they entered a corner and the passenger’s weight shifted, causing the motorcycle to lay down and then roll over.
The passenger, Lilly-Bizier, was thrown from the motorcycle, landing in a nearby field after striking a fence, according to a news release from Chief Deputy James Ross of the sheriff’s office.
A LifeFlight of Maine helicopter was started from Bangor but was canceled a short time later when it was determined that Lilly-Bizier had died at the scene, according to Ross. She had not been wearing a helmet.
No other motorcycle was involved in the crash, Ross said.
The accident was reconstructed by Deputy Brian Crater of the sheriff’s office and members of the Maine State Police, who provided mapping services of the scene.
The Somerset County District Attorney’s Office was consulted, as speed and alcohol are being investigated as possible contributing factors in the crash.
Doug Harlow — 612-2367
Twitter:@Doug_Harlow
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