by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

A fatal motor crash on Route 191 took the life of an 11-year-old Rose M. Gaffney student on the night of Thursday, Dec. 14. The Machias schools started one hour late the next day in response to the tragic news.

Christopher Stevenson, age 45, of Roque Bluffs was southbound on Rt 191 when his 2002 Mercury Grand Marquis went off the roadway striking a tree.

Stevenson’s daughter, age 11, was a passenger in the vehicle and died at the scene.