Samantha Tupper, Augusta, Maine woman with prior driving infractions and prior drug criminal convictions involved in collision that leads to 2 Maine Dot workers killed in I-95 crash as officials have yet to announce whether she will face charges.
A minivan motorist alleged to have struck two state employees working along a Maine highway in Waterville on Tuesday leading to their deaths, had her driver’s license suspended at least once before and had been the subject of ongoing drug criminal prosecutions.
Samantha Tupper, 34, of Augusta, was not injured in the crash on an Interstate 95 overpass, which killed MaineDOT employees and Waterville residents James Brown and Dwayne Campbell.
Chain reaction tragedy along Maine I-95 overpass
Maine State Police officials said the crash happened at about 9:35 a.m. near mile marker 127 on the southbound side of the bridge that carries I-95 over Kennedy Memorial Drive, WMTW reported.
Investigators said a gray Kia minivan driven by Tupper failed to stop at the posted stop sign and tried to merge with the left lane of I-95 south, only to be struck by a tractor-trailer that was traveling southbound on the highway.
The collision forced the minivan into the work zone, where three MaineDOT employees who were working at the site were struck.
Police said the impact sent two of the three workers, Brown and Campbell, off the bridge and onto Kennedy Memorial Drive below. Both of those workers were pronounced dead at the scene. The third MaineDOT worker who was struck by the minivan was transported to a local hospital to be treated for injuries that are believed to be non-life-threatening.
The Maine Service Employees Association, Local 1989 of the Service Employees International Union, said Brown, 60, worked for MaineDOT for more than 12 years while Campbell, 51, worked for the agency for more than 23 years.
Tupper prior driving infractions along with criminal history includes drug-related offenses raise questions about road safety compliance and culpability
Tupper, hospitalized with minor injuries, had two young children in the vehicle who were unharmed. The tractor-trailer driver involved in the collision was not injured. All southbound lanes of I-95 were closed for hours during the investigation by the Maine State Police Crash Reconstruction Unit.
To date, Tupper has not been charged in the tragedy as Maine officials now probe the case.
A review of Tupper’s driving record reveals the 34-year-old woman being caught speeding multiple times and committing other vehicle infractions. At one point, Tupper’s license was suspended and she was later convicted of driving on a suspended license.
Tupper also has numerous numerous convictions for drug possession, drug trafficking and theft. Tupper has been in jail multiple times dating back to 2017.
In 2018, Tupper was sentenced to four years in prison for dealing drugs to an undercover police officer. At the time of her arrest, Tupper was on probation for another drug case.
Tupper has not been charged in connection with Tuesday’s crash, which will be investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
Maine authorities had yet to say whether Tupper was driving under the influence and whether she yielded to toxicology tests or whether she had been speeding.
