Off-Duty Maine Firefighter Dies in Crash After Allegedly Falling Asleep

An off-duty South Portland, Maine firefighter was killed in a crash overnight Thursday, according to authorities.

Forty-six-year-old Lt. Harry Weymouth of Buxton died from his injuries sustained in the two-vehicle crash at Maine Medical Center around 4 a.m.

State police say it appears Weymouth fell asleep at the wheel as he was driving home.

"It is with deep sadness that the South Portland Fire Department announces the death of veteran Fire Lieutenant Harry Weymouth," the department said in a statement.

Weymouth was a 21-year veteran of the South Portland Fire Department and a volunteer with the Buxton Fire Department. He was also a registered nurse at Southern Maine Health Care at the Goodall Campus in Sanford.

He leaves behind a wife and three children, according to South Portland's fire chief.

State police troopers responded to the crash on Route 202 in Hollis just before 1 a.m., where they found Weymouth's 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt had crossed the centerline and hit a 2014 Ford Fusion being driven by a 45-year-old Portland woman.

Officials say paramedics from the Buxton Fire Department were the first to respond to their co-worker's fatal crash.

"It's tough for us," Buxton Fire Chief Nate Schools said. "Not just losing a 30-year member of our department that was an integral part of that over the years, it's also that our crews are hurting, too."

The driver of the other car and her passenger were also taken to Maine Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.

Investigators say speed and alcohol do not appear to be factors in the crash.

South Portland Fire Chief James Wilson said Lt. Weymouth's last shift with the department was a 24-hour shift and left Wednesday morning. It's unclear if he worked a nursing shift after his final shift at the South Portland Fire Department.

His coworkers at Southern Maine Health Care have established a GoFundMe page to support his family.