Motorcyclist Killed in Wrong Way Crash on I-295 in Yarmouth, Maine

Maine State Police say a Lewiston man was killed Sunday evening when the motorcycle he was driving struck a car head-on on the Interstate in Yarmouth.

Police and emergency crews responded to the collision at mile marker 16 on I-295 southbound around 8:15 p.m., according to Shannon Moss of the Maine Department of Public Safety. State Police say a motorcycle was reported to be headed north in the southbound lanes when it struck a 2010 Honda Accord head-on.

When emergency responders arrived, they identified the operator of the motorcycle as 47-year-old John Rivard of Lewiston.

Rivard was operating a black 2011 Harley Davidson motorcycle and had entered the interstate from the exit 15 southbound off-ramp, Moss said. The collision occurred a with minutes after he entered the highway. Rivard was pronounced dead at the scene.

State Police said the driver of the Honda Accord was from Brunswick and was not injured.

Both southbound lanes were closed to traffic by Maine DOT for approximately 2 ½ hours Sunday night to allow law enforcement time to process the scene. The crash remains under active investigation, Moss said.

The Maine State Police was assisted at the scene by Yarmouth Police Department, Falmouth Police Department, Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office and Yarmouth Fire & Rescue.