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Sean Kenny

Andrew Gerke, a recent UMaine graduate, died Tuesday after a Monday-evening car crash.

University of Maine alumnus Andrew Gerke died Tuesday morning from injuries sustained in a car crash, according to a hospital spokesperson and university officials.

According to a news release by Maine State Police spokesman Steve McCausland, Gerke was traveling northbound on the Maine Turnpike in Saco when he lost control of his 1987 Nissan 300 at 5:45 p.m. The car rolled three times before landing on its wheels in the southbound lane and Gerke, who was not wearing a seat belt, was thrown from the vehicle.

According to the release, “witnesses to the crash told [a trooper] Gerke’s car veered suddenly into the far left passing lane and it appears Gerke overcorrected causing the vehicle to overturn.” Driver inattention, not speed, was the cause of the crash, McCausland said.

Gerke was taken to Maine Medical Center in Portland where he was listed in critical condition. The 24-year-old died at 7:50 a.m. Tuesday, according to Mary Saucier, a spokesperson for the hospital.

“If he had been seatbelted, he would likely have survived this crash,” McCausland said.

An official cause of death has not been determined and will not be released by the medical examiner for several weeks.

Gerke graduated in December with a degree in civil engineering. He worked as vice president of Student Entertainment while at UMaine.

• Andrew Gerke, UMaine alum died this morning (April 13, 2009)
• Andrew Gerke: “The kid lived for music” (April 16, 2009)
• Op-Ed: With death of a friend, a lesson in mortality learned (April 16, 2009)
• Finishing his last drink (April 20, 2009)
• Brian James dies in snowmobile accident (April 16, 2009)

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 16th, 2009, 12:00 am. You can follow any responses to this article through the RSS feed.