A high school senior from Millinocket died after crashing into a moose shortly after midnight Tuesday.
Landon Gardner, 17, hit a moose with his vehicle, which then left Poplar Street in T3 Indian Purchase and went into trees, where Gardner was found deceased, said Shannon Moss of the Maine Department of Public Safety. The moose was dead in the center of the road when police arrived.
Being outside, whether it was fishing or snowmobiling, was Gardner’s favorite place to be, his mom Miranda Mills said. He would find time to fish before and after work at the Katahdin General Store in Millinocket. He loved to go with his cousin and best friend, Brayden McLaughlin.
“He was an American boy — he was all boy,” uncle Mark Boynton said.
The Millinocket community has rallied around the family, bringing them food and offering support.
“It’s just the amount of support that everybody has already shown us and continues to do so,” aunt Rhonni Charette said. “It’s nothing shy of amazing. It’s very overwhelming, no matter how you look at it. The community has really come together far and wide.”
Stearns Junior and Senior High School opened its gym for students and staff to gather the day after Gardner’s death so they could mourn together and meet with counselors.
