Nobleboro, ME — November 15, 2022, 68-year-old Sharon Moody died in a collision with a dump truck on East Pond Road in Lincoln County.

Authorities say the incident happened around 2:30 p.m. on East Pond. Preliminary investigation suggests Moody was traveling south on the roadway when her car may have crossed over the center line for unknown reasons. After entering the oncoming lane the car collided head-on with a dump truck.

Moody was fatally injured in the crash. The truck driver, 56-year-old Steven Levensailor, was taken to an area hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.

The investigation continues but speed and impairment are not suspected factors.

No further information is currently available.

Commentary on Sharon Moody Accident in Nobleboro

It's important to keep an open mind and investigate carefully after any crash, no matter how straightforward preliminary reports may seem. For example, not long ago I handled an accident similar in some ways to the one in Maine. Police said the victim crossed left of center and fatally crashed with a big rig. Our experts looked again at his family's request, though, and found officers were mistaken: The truck driver actually drifted left of center first when they fell asleep at the wheel. The victim crossed over to avoid the big rig but the trucker hit the rumble strips, woke up, and steered back into his lane at the same time. Police just found the crashed vehicles in the truck's lane and assumed the victim was to blame.

I'm not suggesting the same thing happened in Nobleboro, but even if police are certain of who crossed over there's still the question of why. What made her go left of center? Was she distracted by something? Did something unusual happen, like a medical emergency or a vehicle malfunction? Was the road wet or hazardous? Could any other extenuating factors have influenced what happened?

I don't want to overcomplicate things or point fingers. It's just best not to make any assumptions during the investigation, whether that's done by police or by independent experts. At the very least the victim's family deserves to know they have the whole story; anything beyond that would depend on what is learned.