Fatal crashes in Hancock County, Maine
In 2024, 6 people died in 6 fatal crashes in Hancock County, Maine, down from 10 in 2023. From 2015 to 2024 the county recorded 98 fatal crashes and 108 deaths, the 6th most of 16 counties in Maine.
Deaths in Hancock County by year
| Year | Fatal crashes | Deaths |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 6 | 6 |
| 2023 | 10 | 10 |
| 2022 | 13 | 16 |
| 2021 | 12 | 15 |
| 2020 | 15 | 15 |
| 2019 | 12 | 14 |
| 2018 | 6 | 7 |
| 2017 | 7 | 7 |
| 2016 | 9 | 10 |
| 2015 | 8 | 8 |
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024 Annual Report File (released April 2026, subject to revision). How we count
The deadliest roads in Hancock County
State Highway 15 had the most fatal crashes of any numbered road in Hancock County from 2015 to 2024: 11, with 11 deaths. The 5 roads listed held 44% of all fatal crashes in Hancock County from 2015 to 2024; 2 US routes, 3 state highways. 72% of the county's fatal crashes were on an interstate, US or state route; the other 28% were on county roads and city streets. Routes are listed from 5 fatal crashes.
| Road | Fatal crashes | Deaths | 2022 to 2024 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | State Highway 15 | 11 | 11 | 5 | no page |
| 2 | US 1 | 10 | 10 | 6 | |
| 3 | State Highway 102 | 8 | 8 | 3 | no page |
| 4 | State Highway 3 | 8 | 8 | 3 | no page |
| 5 | US 1A | 6 | 6 | 1 | no page |
Ellsworth had 15% of the county's fatal crashes from 2015 to 2024, 15 of 98.
Cities NHTSA filed, with their fatal crashes from 2015 to 2024: Ellsworth 15, Bar Harbor 10, Bucksport 6, Blue Hill 6, Sedgwick 6, Hancock 5. The city is not filed for crashes outside a city.
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024 Annual Report File (released April 2026, subject to revision). How we count
When fatal crashes happen in Hancock County
98 fatal crashes in Hancock County, Maine from 2015 to 2024 have a known time, too few for any one weekday and time of day to stand out. The worst hour is 4 pm to 5 pm; the worst month is September.
| Midnight to 4 | 4 to 8 am | 8 to noon | Noon to 4 | 4 to 8 pm | 8 to midnight | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun | 2.0 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes | 2.0 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 2.0 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 7.1 percent, 7 fatal crashes | 2.0 percent, 2 fatal crashes |
| Mon | 2.0 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 2.0 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes | 4.1 percent, 4 fatal crashes | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes |
| Tue | 2.0 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 1.0 percent, 1 fatal crash | 5.1 percent, 5 fatal crashes | 7.1 percent, 7 fatal crashes | 2.0 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 1.0 percent, 1 fatal crash |
| Wed | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes | 2.0 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 3.1 percent, 3 fatal crashes | 3.1 percent, 3 fatal crashes | 9.2 percent, 9 fatal crashes | 4.1 percent, 4 fatal crashes |
| Thu | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes | 3.1 percent, 3 fatal crashes | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes | 4.1 percent, 4 fatal crashes | 3.1 percent, 3 fatal crashes | 2.0 percent, 2 fatal crashes |
| Fri | 1.0 percent, 1 fatal crash | 1.0 percent, 1 fatal crash | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes | 2.0 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 1.0 percent, 1 fatal crash | 3.1 percent, 3 fatal crashes |
| Sat | 4.1 percent, 4 fatal crashes | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes | 1.0 percent, 1 fatal crash | 5.1 percent, 5 fatal crashes | 3.1 percent, 3 fatal crashes | 3.1 percent, 3 fatal crashes |
By hour
By month
- Jan7.1%
- Feb3.1%
- Mar4.1%
- Apr6.1%
- May4.1%
- Jun11.2%
- Jul9.2%
- Aug9.2%
- Sep19.4%
- Oct11.2%
- Nov6.1%
- Dec9.2%
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024 Annual Report File (released April 2026, subject to revision). How we count
What fatal crashes in Hancock County first hit
The first harmful event was a fixed object such as a tree, pole or barrier in 38%; a collision with another vehicle in 33%, a pedestrian in 11%, a rollover in 10%.
| First harmful event | Fatal crashes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed object (tree, pole, barrier, ditch) | 37 | 38% |
| Collision with another vehicle | 32 | 33% |
| Pedestrian | 11 | 11% |
| Rollover | 10 | 10% |
| Other | 5 | 5.1% |
| Parked vehicle | 3 | 3.1% |
| Cyclist | 0 | 0.0% |
| Not reported | 0 | 0.0% |
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024 Annual Report File (released April 2026, subject to revision). How we count
How fatal crashes in Hancock County compare with Maine
The largest difference from Maine: from 2015 to 2024, 99% of fatal crashes in Hancock County were on rural roads, against 81% across Maine. Below the Maine share: distracted drivers. Shares of fatal crashes from 2015 to 2024, against the share across all of Maine. A share is only given over 20 crashes; above or below means more than chance would give on 98 crashes.
| Hancock | Maine | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| On rural roads | 99% | 81% | above the Maine share |
| At or near an intersection | 9.2% | 15% | about the same as the Maine share |
| In the dark, road unlit | 34% | 30% | about the same as the Maine share |
| A drinking driver | 41% | 37% | about the same as the Maine share |
| Speeding | 29% | 28% | about the same as the Maine share |
| A distracted driver (as recorded) | 2.0% | 7.6% | below the Maine share |
| Occupants killed unbelted | 55% | 52% | about the same as the Maine share |
| Hit-and-run | 0.0% | 1.3% | about the same as the Maine share |
| A motorcycle involved | 15% | 17% | about the same as the Maine share |
| Pedestrians among the dead | 12% | 10% | about the same as the Maine share |
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024 Annual Report File (released April 2026, subject to revision). How we count
Questions about fatal crashes in Hancock County, Maine
- How many people died in car accidents in Hancock County in 2024?
- 6 people died in 6 fatal crashes in Hancock County, Maine, in 2024, down from 10 in 2023. Source: NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS).
- What is the deadliest road in Hancock County?
- State Highway 15 had the most fatal crashes of any numbered road in Hancock County from 2015 to 2024: 11, with 11 deaths.
- How many fatal crashes in Hancock County involved a drinking driver?
- 40 of 98 fatal crashes in Hancock County from 2015 to 2024 involved a driver NHTSA recorded as drinking, 41%, against 37% across Maine.
Other counties in Maine with a page
- Cumberland County
- York County
- Penobscot County
- Kennebec County
- Androscoggin County
- Oxford County
- Somerset County
- Aroostook County
- Waldo County
- Washington County
All fatal crashes in Maine, with every county ranked.
Where the Hancock County numbers come from
Counted from NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System, 2024 Annual Report File: every fatal crash NHTSA filed in Hancock County (county code 9). A fatal crash is one in which someone died within 30 days. The rate per 100,000 uses the Census Bureau's population estimate for the county; it is the only figure here not counted from FARS. Totals from state highway departments and news reports can differ: they count from their own crash reports, often before every death within 30 days is known, while NHTSA's file is checked against death certificates and revised once a year. The full method.
Download every county with a page as CSV. Free to reuse with credit: “Fatal Crash Data, fatalcrashdata.com/fatal-crashes/maine/hancock-county/, from NHTSA FARS (2024 Annual Report File).”