UNION — The Knox County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a crash that claimed the lives of two teenagers, and sent another teenager to the hospital for what is believed to be non-life threatening injuries, reported the Sheriff’s Office in a Dec. 6 news release. The crash occurred just before midnight, Dec. 5, on Wottons Mill Road in Union.

On Dec. 6 at 11:15 a.m., the Sheriff’s Office said the deceased are the driver, Caleb Byras, 17, of Litchfield, and the front seat passenger, Kara Brewer, 16, of Rockland. The surviving passsenger is a 17-year-old female from Warren.

Just prior to the crash, Rockport Police Officer Craig Cooley had attempted to stop the car on Rt. 17 in Rockport for speeding, the release said.

“Officer Cooley had notified Knox County Regional Communications Center that the car was not stopping on his signal to do so and proceeded west on Route 17. Officer Cooley pursued the vehicle until Wottons Mill Road. At that point he notified that he had lost sight of the car after turning onto Wottons Mill Road and that he would be proceeding further down Wottons Mill Road, concerned for the operation that was being done.

“Over 2 miles down the road; Officer Cooley came upon a crash involving the vehicle that he had attempted to stop. The car had gone off the opposite side of the road and crashed into a tree, splitting the vehicle into two sections. The two in the front seat were pronounced dead at the scene and the third passenger was transported to the hospital.”

The injured passenger was transported to the hospital by Sterling Ambulance while Union Ambulance remained at the scene.

The Sheriff’s Office said that Cooley had stopped and summonsed the operator for speeding approximately an hour prior to the crash, when he clocked him on radar again for speeding on Route 17. At that time, Byras was alone in the car. Speed was a factor in the crash, as well, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Union Fire Department assisted on scene and the crash is being reconstructed and mapped by Maine State Police.