A good Samaritan was killed during an icy, pile-up crash on I-95 in Waterville

Nov. 26—A Madison woman was killed Friday night after she stopped her vehicle to help another motorist, during one of many pile-ups that occurred on an icy, Interstate 95 in Waterville, police said Saturday.

Michelle Demchak, 59, was struck after she stopped to help an occupant of a vehicle that crashed into the Messalonskee bridge barrier.

Demchak was standing near the disabled car when a Ford pick up truck hauling a car carrier being driven by Bradford Enos, 39, of Atkinson, entered the crash area, and struck Demchak, according to Shannon Moss, public information officer for the Maine Department of Public Safety. Demchak was pronounced dead at the scene, Moss said.

According to Joy McKenna, Director, Marketing & Communications at MaineGeneral Health, Demchak was a nurse at MaineGeneral in Augusta.

Police received numerous calls reporting multi-vehicle crashes due to icy roadways on I-95's bridge after 7 p.m.

As the bridge became congested in the northbound lane, numerous secondary crashes occurred.

Maine State Police shut down both the north and southbound lanes and diverted traffic into Waterville for two and a half hours. More than a half dozen agencies responded to the scene, including the Maine Warden Service and Waterville-area police and fire departments. Delta Ambulance provided emergency medical aid to several victims of all the crashes.

Three people were taken to local hospitals to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries, Moss said.

State Troopers and the Crash Reconstruction Team are investigating the fatal crash.

Preliminary information indicates that imprudent speed during inclement road conditions appear to be contributing factors in all of the 10 crashes, Moss said.