Motorcyclist killed in Auburn crash identified as 40-year-old Lewiston woman

A Lewiston woman died Friday after a collision on South Main Street with a car being operated by a teenager with a learner’s permit.

Jessica Carter, 40 was driving a 2010 Kawasaki motorcycle when she struck a 2004 Volkswagen Beetle attempting to turn onto South Main Street from Witham Road, according to Auburn deputy chief of police Timothy A. Cougle. The Volkswagen was operated by a 15-year-old driver accompanied by their mother, Cougle said, and the teen driver was struggling to maneuver the Volkswagen’s manual transmission during the turn.

Carter tried to swerve out of the way to avoid the crash but hit the driver’s side of the Volkswagen. Carter, who was wearing a helmet, was given CPR by witnesses at the scene, but died from her injuries, Cougle said.

The teen driver and her mother were not seriously injured.

The South Maine Street intersection was closed for several hours after the crash. Cougle said the investigation is ongoing.