Crime & Safety

12-Year-Old Girl Killed in Car Crash in Maine

The victim has been identified as Westporter Tess Meisel.

Tragedy struck a Westport family and the community at large this morning when 12 year-old Tess Meisel, daughter of Gary and Suzanne Meisel of Bolton Lane, and a student at Coleytown Middle School, was killed in a motor vehicle accident in Farmington, Maine.

According to published reports, Meisel was riding in the back seat of a minivan owned by a Y camp in Colebrook, Connecticut, that was traveling from Acadia National Park to a park in Vermont when a tractor trailer capsized onto the vehicle, crushing its rear end. The accident occurred on Route 2 near its intersection with Route 4 in Farmington.

Four others in the van, including 13-year-old Samantha Gaivao, also of Westport, and Samatha Hollander, 15, of Wilton, and two adults, including the driver, were reportedly injured in the accident. They were transported to Franklin Memorial Hospital in Farmington with non-life threatening injuries, according to police.

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“On behalf of all Westporters, I offer my deepest condolences to the Meisel family whose daughter Tess died today in a tragic accident in Farmington, Maine, where she was attending summer camp,” said Westport First Selectman Gordon Joseloff in a statement. “Even at the young age of 12, the Coleytown Middle School student had made her mark as an , winning awards and admiration for her devotion to promoting everything green.”

Westport Patch published at least two stories about Tess Meisel, including t about how Tess and her brother, Jacob, launched their own blog informing Westporters of their local forecast.

Find out what's happening in Westportwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“We also wish a speedy recovery for her Westport friend, Samantha Galvao, 13, who was injured in the accident, as well as two other youngsters who were also reported injured,” Joseloff added. “All Westporters share this tragic loss, and I am grateful to those who have already gathered to offer their support to both families at this time of need.”

The driver of the van has been identified as 23-year-old Charles Powell of Colebrook.

The driver of the tractor-trailer has been identified as Charles Willey, 53, of Dexter, Maine.

The truck, owned by Linkletter Trucking of Athens, was loaded with sawdust. Police said the tractor trailer turned over on its side in the accident, spilling its load on the side of the roadway. Willey also required medical transport.

State troopers and Farmington Police are reportedly investigating the crash.


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