Jean Appleby Johnson Dies After Being Struck by Vehicle on Route 24 in Harpswell
ORR’S ISLAND, An Orr’s Island resident was killed Wednesday afternoon after being struck by a vehicle on Route 24, also known as Harpswell Islands Road, according to the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies responded to a 911 call at approximately 2:49 p.m. reporting a motor vehicle crash near the intersection of Route 24 and Tower Hill Road, just north of the Orr’s Island fire station.
Investigators said a 2019 Chevrolet Silverado driven by Alton Wyman, 41, of Topsham, was traveling northbound when it crossed the centerline and struck a parked SUV on the southbound shoulder of the roadway. Authorities stated that the SUV had last been driven by Jean Appleby Johnson, 71, of Orr’s Island, who was outside the vehicle at the time of the crash.
Despite life-saving efforts by first responders, Johnson was pronounced dead at the scene. Wyman was transported to Maine Medical Center with injuries that were described as non-life-threatening.
The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office said the crash remains under investigation, with assistance from the Brunswick Police Department and the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office.
Route 24 serves as the only roadway connecting Bailey Island and Orr’s Island to Great Island and the mainland. The road was temporarily closed while emergency crews and investigators worked at the scene before reopening at approximately 6:30 p.m.
Jean Appleby Johnson was a longtime and well-known member of the community with a distinguished background in public service and nonprofit leadership. Originally from South Carolina, she earned a bachelor’s degree from Winthrop University and later completed a master’s degree in public administration at the University of Virginia.
Her career included work on Capitol Hill and at the White House, along with consulting roles focused on interim executive leadership for nonprofit organizations. She also served as a trustee of James Madison University and held board positions with the Maine Maritime Museum and the Orr’s Island Library.
Johnson was a member of the Maine Women’s Giving Tree and previously chaired the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services. She began vacationing in Maine in 1978 and relocated to the state full time in 2006.
She and her husband, Charlie, lived on Orr’s Island. Johnson is survived by her husband and two sons, both of whom reside in Washington, D.C.
