The lawnmower collided with an SUV on the road in front of the victim’s house.
A Unity man died Thursday morning from injuries suffered Wednesday when the lawnmower he was riding with his 5-year-old granddaughter on Albion Road in Unity was struck by a passing vehicle, according to Waldo County Sheriff Jeff Trafton.
Clement Blakney, 66, of 317 Albion Road, which is routes 202 and 9, was driving the lawnmower with his granddaughter in his lap and crossing the road in front of his house when the lawnmower was struck by a Nissan sport utility vehicle being driven north toward Unity by Nicole Ellis, 46, of Fairfield, Trafton said Thursday.
The accident was reported at 4:27 p.m., he said. Blakney was taken by Unity Volunteer Ambulance Corp. to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor and died sometime before 3:34 a.m. Thursday, according to Trafton.
He said Clement had suffered multiple injuries in the crash, including a severe head injury.
His granddaughter was taken to a Waterville hospital and a sheriff’s sergeant who went to the hospital Wednesday evening reported she had non-life threatening injuries, he said.
Ellis also was taken by Unity Ambulance to a Waterville hospital with non-life threatening injuries, he said.
Trafton, who responded to the crash scene, said it was his understanding Clement’s granddaughter was in his lap when the accident occurred.
He described the lawnmower as a zero-turn lawnmower that is steered with levers, unlike a traditional driving lawnmower.
No charges had been filed in the accident as of Thursday.
“Initially there was no indication of any wrongdoing,” Trafton said.
He said State Police worked to reconstruct the crash Wednesday night, but it got dark before it was completed, so they were planning to return Thursday morning with a drone and map the scene to finish the reconstruction effort.
Amy Calder — 861-9247
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Twitter: @AmyCalder17
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