T12 R15, Maine — An East Winthrop man visiting his camp in the North Maine Woods was killed Monday when his pickup truck apparently rolled over him, according to a statement from the Maine State Police.
Bruce Morang, 74, was at the camp with his wife, Martha Morrill, 66, when the accident occurred.
Shortly before 5:30 p.m. on July 25, the Houlton Regional Communications Center received a report that a man had been found deceased near his truck in the Unorganized Territory of T12R15, located approximately two hours west of Ashland.
According to the initial investigation, Morang was killed when his pickup truck rolled backwards and crushed him. Morang and his wife had just arrived at their camp and were in the process of unpacking their gear, when the truck began to roll backwards shortly after he exited the vehicle, according to police.
As it rolled backwards, the truck knocked Morang to the ground and dragged him for a short distance, and then the vehicle passed over him. The truck eventually came to rest near the camp after hitting a fire pit.
At some point the vehicle caught on fire. Investigators think a cigarette that Morang had been smoking may have ignited the fire inside the vehicle, which contained several medical oxygen tanks. The fire completely consumed the truck.
Maine State Police Corporal Chuck Michaud, who was transported to the scene by the Maine Warden Service, was the lead investigator. Officials from the state Fire Marshall’s Office began to respond to the scene, as initial reports indicated the death may have involved the fire. Once members of the Maine Warden Service arrived at the camp, it was evident that the vehicle fire had not caused the death.
Morang was transported to a local funeral home in Ashland and subsequently transferred to the custody of the Medical Examiner’s Office to determine an exact cause of death. Morang’s wife was not injured in the accident.
