SEARSMONT — Four people were injured and one driver died Aug. 18, following a two-vehicle crash on Route 3 in Searsmont just after 8 p.m.

The operator of a 2013 Chevrolet Silverado, later identified as George Studley, 73, of China, was traveling toward Belfast with his grandson when his vehicle crossed the center line, according to Searsmont Fire Department Chief James Ames.

The Waldo County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release that Studley’s pickup struck head-on a 2016 Chevrolet Silverado under the operation of Cory Chase, 45, of Searsmont, who was traveling with his two children.

Studley died at the scene, and Searsmont firefighters used Jaws of Life to extract Chase from his vehicle.

LifeFlight was contacted to transport Chase to Eastern Maine Medical Center (EMMC). Lifeflight, however, was not flying due to inclement weather conditions, and Chase was subsequently transported via ambulance to Bangor.

Chase’s two school-aged children were also transported in separate ambulances, with injuries, including broken bones.

Studley’s grandson suffered bumps and bruises, according to Ames.

The two Silverados hit with such force that they required two wrecker trucks to pull them apart before they could be transported from the scene.

“It’s a really a miracle [that there were not additional fatalities],” Ames said.

Ames said authorities were on scene until after 11 p.m., with Maine State Police recreating the accident, and the wreckage being cleared from the scene.

Deputy Daniel Thompson is the primary investigator, assisted by Corporal Greg Jones, the Maine State Police, Searsmont Fire and Ambulance, Liberty Ambulance, Belfast Ambulance, Morrill Fire Department, and the Belmont Fire Department, according to a Waldo County Sheriff’s Office press release.

On Monday afternoon, Aug. 21, Chase said, speaking over the phone from his hospital room, that he and his children were OK. While he said he has a few surgeries to go, things are "all good now."

Erica Thoms can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com