STOCKBRIDGE, Vt. — A Fairlee resident who died in a head-on crash in Stockbridge on Monday was a “good person” who loved working on his truck, according to a friend and former co-worker.
Blake Manning, 31, who was killed in the crash Monday, “was a real goofball with an awesome sense of humor,” Bradford resident Jason Turner said in a Facebook message to the Valley News on Tuesday,
The crash was called in at 2:11 p.m. Monday on Route 107 near Stockbridge Central School, according to a news release from the department. Manning, who was driving a 2020 Hyundai Accent eastbound on the state road, crossed over the center line, running head-on into a 2014 Toyota Tacoma that was heading westbound, authorities said. Manning was declared dead at the scene.
Fair Haven resident Andrew Donahue, 35, who was driving the Toyota pickup, and his passenger, 23-year-old Fair Haven resident Taylor Lewis, were both extricated from the car and taken to nearby hospitals for “serious injuries” to the head and “to multiple parts of the body,” according to the news release. One person was transported to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon and the other to Gifford Medical Center in Royalton, but police did not clarify which person was sent where. Messages to both hospitals seeking updates on Donahue and Lewis’ conditions were not returned Tuesday.
Police are still investigating the cause of the crash but don’t think speed played a factor, according to the news release. The sky was gray and roads were dry during the time of the incident.
Turner, who said he met Manning four years ago when they painted houses together, compared Manning to a “long distant relative.”
“I’m sure he will be truly missed,” Turner said.
Messages to other family and friends for comment were not returned Tuesday.