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Two men died Thursday night when the car they were in went into Souadabscook Stream after crashing into a Kia at the intersection of Main Road North and Coldbrook Road in Hampden.

The bodies of Christian Broberg, 22, of Winterport and Tyler Wheaton, 23, of Hampden were found in the water several hundred yards from the vehicle, according to Hampden Public Safety.

Police were called to the scene of the crash at 9:48 p.m.

The men were traveling south, toward Winterport, in a 2005 Subaru when the driver lost control of the car on the crest of the hill above the stream. The Subaru struck a 2016 Kia driven by Laura Brissette, 37, of Hampden, who was turning left onto Main Road North from Coldbrook Road.

The Subaru careened through a guardrail at the Grist Mill Bridge into the stream, Chief Chris Bailey said Friday. The car was submerged in water for several hours before it was located.

An investigation into the cause and circumstances surrounding the crash is ongoing, Bailey said.

Both victims were 2017 graduates of Hampden Academy, RSU 22 Superintendent Regan Nickels said Friday.

“Our hearts are broken for the young men and their families and friends,” Nickels said.

The bridge where the crash took place, which is built with composite material developed in partnership with University of Maine researchers, opened to traffic last December. The now-damaged guardrail was put up when the bridge was completed, and was made of galvanized steel, Maine Department of Transportation spokesperson Paul Merrill said Friday.

Merrill said the agency would replace the badly damaged guardrail but did not provide a timeline on Friday.

Thursday night’s crash was the first fatal one on the stretch of Main Road North from the intersection with Coldbrook to the stream, according to Maine Department of Transportation data.

There have been 19 other crashes on that stretch since 2003. Seven of those caused injuries, the last when a car went off the road in September 2020.

A Maine Department of Transportation crew member and Hampden police were on the scene Friday morning inspecting the damage to the guardrail and preparing to repair it. A Maine Department of Environmental Protection employee later arrived to determine whether fuel had leaked from the vehicle, as well as other environmental effects of the crash.

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