A 21-year-old man from Edgecomb died Tuesday morning in a single-vehicle crash on Gardiner Road in Whitefield. Gavin Martin was a firefighter with the Edgecomb Fire Department, according to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office.
Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office deputies were called to the crash around 5:50 a.m. Tuesday after the Lincoln County Communications Center received a report of a crash near the intersection of Gardiner Road and Hunts Meadow Road.
Martin was driving a tan 2005 Chevrolet Colorado eastbound on Gardiner Road when the truck crossed into the westbound lane and left the roadway, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office said in a social media post. The vehicle hit a utility pole on the westbound shoulder, breaking the pole, before rolling onto its roof and coming to rest in a grove of trees, the post stated.
Martin was the only person in the vehicle and was not wearing a seat belt, officials said. Airbags in the truck deployed. Martin died at the scene, according to the sheriff’s office. The initial investigation indicates speed was a factor in the crash, the sheriffโs office said.
“Gavin passed away unexpected Tuesday morning and has left a hole in our community that will be impossible to fill,” the department posted on social media Wednesday. “Gavin was one of the most dedicated members of our department and his passion for firefighting can never be matched.”
Lincoln County sheriffโs deputies were assisted at the scene by the Whitefield Fire Department and Delta Ambulance. Gardiner Road was closed to traffic for about three hours while crews responded and investigators worked at the scene.
