A South China woman was injured seriously in a Tuesday morning crash in Madison that might have been caused by distracted driving, according to Chief Deputy James Ross of the Somerset County Sheriff’s Department.
Shanya Pottle, 20, of South China, suffered serious head injuries and possible broken bones in the 11 a.m. crash on U.S. Route 201, and had to be extricated from her van, a 2005 Dodge Caravan, according to a news release from Ross.
Pottle was driving about a mile north of Lakewood Golf Course when her car swerved, regained control, then veered off the right side of the road, struck a driveway and went airborne before it rolled over several times, according to evidence at the scene and a truck driver who said Pottle had passed him moments before the crash, the news release said.
The truck driver told deputies at the scene that Pottle appeared to have been using a cellphone when she passed him.
A white Labrador retriever that was in the van when it crashed was ejected and hadn’t been found by late Tuesday afternoon, the release said. The dog did not appear to be injured.
Pottle, who was unconscious when emergency responders arrived, was taken from the scene by A&M Ambulance to Redington-Fairview General Hospital in Skowhegan. She was then reported to have been transferred to Maine Medical Center in Portland.
Ross said distracted driving is being investigated as a possible cause of the accident.
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