DUDLEY, Mass. — A Massachusetts woman has been identified as one of the victims of a fiery wrong-way wreck on a highway in Portland, Maine, last week.
Julia Brooke Chapdelaine, 22, of Dudley, was one of three people killed in a crash on the Maine Turnpike on the evening of Nov. 29, according to her obituary.
Emergency crews responding to reports of a wrong-way driver traveling south on the northbound side of the Maine Turnpike in Portland shortly before 10 p.m. learned a 2018 Honda Civic had struck a 2020 Ford F-150 before crashing head-on into a 2013 Toyota Rav4, according to Maine State Police.
The driver of the Ford wasn’t hurt, but the Honda and Toyota both burst into flames after colliding near mile marker 48, leaving a total of three people dead, including Chapdelaine.
Video shared with WGME-TV showed flames shooting from the vehicles and traffic at a standstill.
Chapdelaine was a senior at the University of New England in Biddeford, Maine. She will receive her degree posthumously in spring, her obituary stated.
Chapdelaine was born in Port Charlotte, Florida, in 2001 but she lived most of her life in Dudley, graduating from Shepherd Hill Regional High School in 2019. She was said to be a a proud member of fantasy and illusion show choirs and a member of the school’s field hockey team.
“Julia lit up every room she entered with her beautiful smile. She lived life to the fullest with the kindest soul. Her family and friends were her entire world. She will always be loved and never forgotten,” her family wrote in the obituary.
Chapdelaine leaves behind family in both New England and Florida.
A celebration of life has been planned for 11 a.m. on Dec. 16 at Bartel Funeral Home & Chapel in Dudley.
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