BELFAST — Rescue crews extricated a woman from her car Saturday evening, Aug. 31, following an accident on Route 1 in Belfast. Belfast Police Chief Mike McFadden confirmed Monday, Sept. 2, that the driver has since died from her injuries. The crash involved a bus and a car and occurred at the intersection of Northport Ave. at approximately 6 p.m.

The driver, Jayashree Kalmath, was transported via Belfast Ambulance to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, where she died. Initially, a Lifeflight helicopter was called to take her to Bangor; however, it was unable to take off from Belfast, given the rainy and foggy weather conditions. The Lifeflight crew rode with her via ambulance to Bangor.

McFadden said that according to witness statements, the car, a Subaru sedan, appeared to be turning left onto Route 1 from Northport Ave, and pulled into the path of a charter bus, which collided with the driver’s side of the vehicle. 

The Jaws of Life extrication tools were used to help remove her from the vehicle, a procedure McFadden said took some time because the rescuers had to first dislodge the engine compartment from the woman's lap before peeling the roof back.

A doctor, Mary Black, who lives just a few hundred yards from the scene, heard the crash and quickly responded before rescuers arrived. First responders included Belfast Police, Belfast Fire Department, Waldo County Sheriff's Department, Belfast Ambulance, and later, members of the LifeFlight of Maine crew. The charter bus was headed for a Luke Bryan concert in Bangor. According to police, the bus driver and a man in the front seat of the bus both suffered minor injuries. Erica Thoms can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com.