Massachusetts and former Rhode Island man seriously injured, 8-year-old son killed in high-speed collision

A Massachusetts man who previously resided in Rhode Island has been seriously injured and his son killed in a highway collision.

According to police, on Saturday just before 3:15 p.m., Oxford County Regional Communications Center received a 911 call reporting a two-vehicle high-speed collision in the vicinity of 1125 U.S. Route 2 in Rumford, Maine, approximately 1 mile west of McDonald’s Restaurant with airbag deployment and multi-victim entrapment. Rumford Fire, MedCare Ambulance and Rumford Police were immediately dispatched to the scene. Moments after the crash while emergency crews were being dispatched, a Game Warden and a Nurse who happened to be in the vicinity at the time of the crash, ran up to the cars to render aid and found an unresponsive 8-year-old boy and immediately began life-saving measures.

When additional first-responders arrived, they confirmed all four individuals involved in the crash had sustained serious, potentially life-threatening injuries. All four patients were quickly transported by ambulances from Mexico and Bethel to the Rumford Hospital. Despite life-saving efforts on scene and at the hospital, the 8-year old passenger died from his injuries.

The preliminary investigation indicates that a 2016 Subaru Impreza operated by 42-year-old Matthew Kellogg of Hopedale, Massachusetts, previously of Rhode Island, and occupied by his two passengers, an 8-year-old boy and a 5-year-old boy, was traveling eastbound on U.S. Route 2 when it collided with a 2005 Volvo-80 4-door operated by F. Michael Piveronas of Rumford traveling westbound. There were no other passengers in the Volvo.

Rumford Public Works, Mexico Police, Mexico Fire, Andover Fire and Newry Fire as well as Maine Department of Transportation, Maine State Police and Oxford County Sheriff’s Office assisted Rumford Police with shutting down Route 2 and re-routing traffic to the South Rumford Road and Route 232 during the investigation. Specialists from the Maine State Police, Oxford County Sheriff’s Office and Androscoggin County Sheriff’s as well as a representative from the District Attorney’s Office were also called in to assist with the crash reconstruction investigation.

The 5-year-old was later transported by paramedics from the Rumford Hospital to a Portland hospital for further emergency treatment and Kellogg was transported to a hospital in Lewiston, both with life-threatening injuries.

Alcohol is suspected of being a contributing factor in the crash.

Route 2 was reopened to traffic at approximately 6:20 p.m.