A 34-year-old Hollis woman died Tuesday afternoon after the SUV she was driving left Bar Mills Road, rolled into a ditch and slammed into a tree. Amber Bowie was pronounced dead at the scene, and the roadway was shut down for hours as crews worked to clear the crash.
Bowie was driving a 2027 Kia Telluride westbound on Bar Mills Road at about 3:01 p.m. Tuesday when the SUV left the roadway, continued into a ditch, rolled over and struck a tree, according to the Bangor Daily News, which attributed the account to Shannon Moss, a spokesperson for the Maine Department of Public Safety. Bowie died at the scene, as reported by WGME.
The crash prompted an extended closure of Bar Mills Road between Cape Road and River Road while first responders worked the scene. The road reopened after about two and a half hours, per NBC Boston, which also reported that authorities rerouted traffic away from the area during the closure.
What Caused the SUV to Leave the Road Remains Unknown
It is still unclear why Bowie's SUV left the roadway, and the station's report notes that an investigation remains ongoing. According to the seed reporting from Q106.5, Maine State Police were dispatched to the Bar Mills Road area just after 3 p.m. Tuesday to investigate the single-vehicle crash, with Hollis and Buxton first responders assisting troopers at the scene.
Authorities shut down the road to reconstruct the circumstances of the crash and clear debris, Q106.5 reported, and state police have continued investigating what caused the vehicle to leave the road. No cause has been confirmed, and officials have not released further details about the circumstances leading up to the rollover.
A Broader Pattern on Maine Roads
The crash adds to a grim tally on Maine roadways this year. The Maine Bureau of Highway Safety has recorded 120 roadway fatalities so far in 2026, following roughly 145 fatalities in both 2024 and 2025, according to Q106.5's reporting. The Maine Department of Public Safety maintains a crash-data system that tracks statewide crash trends, while MaineDOT says its own crash-and-safety database can be used to examine corridor performance and specific crash categories across the state.
No further information about the investigation into Bowie's death has been released. State police have not said when the inquiry into what caused the SUV to leave Bar Mills Road might be completed.
