By David Harry

Staff Writer

A Casco man faces an Oct. 5 arraignment in Cumberland County Superior Court after his indictment on four charges resulting from a fatal accident in Scarborough.

Nathan F. Allen, 37, was indicted by a Cumberland County grand jury last week on one count of Class A manslaughter, two counts of Class B aggravated assault and one count of Class C reckless conduct with a weapon for the May 8 collision that killed 18-year-old Scarborough resident Steven Delano.

Delano’s mother, Cindy Delano, said she was relieved the accident investigation provided more information about the crash that also injured her son’s best friend, Kevin Grondin, and Gorham High School students Kayla Carpenter and Julia Waters.

“Going through this was hard – we had to wait for so long. I wanted to be able to find out what happened,” she said.

Cumberland County Assistant District Attorney Robert “Bud” Ellis said the manslaughter charge is a result of Allen’s failure to stop for a red light at Payne and Holmes roads. 

Police and Tamara Getchell, spokesman for the Cumberland County District Attorney’s Office, said there was no indication drug or alcohol use played a role in the crash.

The maximum penalty for the manslaughter charge is 20 years, Getchell said. 

“I’m very happy it clears Steve’s name and lets everyone know what was going on,” said Grondin, 19.

Allen was headed east on Payne Road toward the Maine Mall area in cloudy conditions on a wet road when his empty tanker truck struck a 2006 Pontiac G6 driven by Delano, according to the accident report.

The accident report said Allen did not stop at a red light but does not say he was speeding. The report diagrams the collision in which the 2010 Kenworth cab owned by J.P. Noonan Transportation of Bridgewater, Mass., struck the driver’s side of the car owned by Delano’s brother, Scott Delano, as the car headed north from Scarborough Downs Road. Police said the tank was used to haul jet fuel and was empty when the crash occurred.

Scarborough Downs Road becomes Holmes Road after it crosses Payne Road.

The car was pushed through the intersection, turned sideways and then rolled down an embankment where it landed on its roof, police said at the time of the crash.

The two couples had just left Delano’s home on their way to the Gorham High School prom at the Italian Heritage Center in Portland. Cindy Delano said she believes they were planning other visits to family members and to pick up prom tickets.

Grondin said he has little memory of the events after leaving the Delano home but did recall telling everyone to buckle their seatbelts.

“I don’t understand why I was like that,” he said.

Grondin said his life is slowly returning to normal. He sustained injuries to three lobes of his brain in the accident and was in Maine Medical Center and New England Rehabilitation in Portland for about a month.

Several days after he was released from the hospital, Grondin collided June 7 with a tanker truck on Route 1 near Scarborough Marsh. His family attributed the accident to his brain injuries. He took the keys to his 1996 Chevrolet pickup truck after his mother, Jo-Ellen Grondin, had gone upstairs to get ready to run errands with Kevin as a passenger.

Neither Grondin nor 20-year-old truck driver Ryan Dube sustained serious injuries in the accident, according to police. Grondin graduated with the Scarborough High School class of 2010 on June 13. The class wore pins made of camouflage material to honor Delano, who also was supposed to graduate.

Grondin said he sometimes has anxiety attacks now, but his body is healing. His jaw has stopped popping out of joint and he has been getting physical therapy for shoulder problems. 

A planned career in the Air Force will not be possible, but Grondin said he hopes to work in fire or rescue services.

The Steven Delano Memorial Fund for Scarborough High School student scholarships will benefit from a fundraiser tonight at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway during the “Car Wars” racing schedule. 

Cindy Delano and Grondin said a variety of businesses have offered goods and services to be raffled between races at the track Delano loved. 

Cindy Delano said scholarships have already been awarded to three students from the class of 2010 and she would like to continue the fund through the class of 2013, which would benefit students who knew her son. Those interested in contributing to the fund can make donations at Town and Country Federal Credit Union on Route 1 in the Oak Hill section of town. 

Staff Writer David Harry can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 219