Man killed in fall from I-95 overpass

SCARBOROUGH — Police are saying the man who died in a fall from a Scarborough bridge Aug. 17 was “probably a suicide.”

Philip Faulkner, 52, of West Enfield, fell from the I-295 “Scarborough Spur” overpass, plummeting roughly 30 feet to the pavement below, where he was struck by a 2002 Buick Regal traveling south on Route 1.

Although police cannot determine if Faulkner actually jumped, his behavior at the time is indicated in a press release issued shortly after the incident by Scarborough Sgt. Eugene O’Neill. At 2:17 p.m., O’Neill wrote, police “received a report” of a man “standing on the I-295 overpass.”

There actually were multiple 911 calls, said Detective Sgt. Rick Rouse, on Monday.

“The concern appears to have been that he was standing on the outside of the railing,” said Rouse, adding that the fall occurred “within a few minutes” of the first report, before police could get on scene.

"He might have changed his mind once he got up there but still fell," said Rouse. "That's something we don't know, and might not ever know."

According to Rouse, Faulkner is believed to have walked to the site from his mother’s home on Maple Avenue, where he had been staying, roughly two miles away from the I-295 connector road. The home was searched, but no suicide note was found, said Rouse.

Faulkner was transported to Maine Medical Center, where he died shortly before 11 p.m.

“It was probably the impact with the pavement that killed him,” said Rouse, adding that the vehicle only ran over Faulkner’s arm. “He had head and hip injuries not caused by the car hitting him.

“I mean, I’m not making a determination as to cause of death, that’s the medical examiner’s job, clearly,” said Rouse. “I just think it’s important for people to know – for anyone who knows the driver involved – that there doesn’t appear to be anything he could have done. In my mind at least, the impact with the vehicle did not kill this man.”

However, because the incident was initially investigated as a fatal traffic accident, the driver, whose name has not been released, was tested to see if he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Blood was drawn on scene, said Rouse.

“You have to try to keep an open mind and cover all your bases,” he explained.

The driver was not detained and has not been charged in the incident.

Faulker’s name initially was withheld pending notification of relatives vacationing abroad. That had happened by Monday.

According to Rouse, Scarborough police had no prior contact with Faulkner. The incident record does not detail any prior mental health issues, he said.

“It all appears to have just come out of the blue,” said Rouse. “Unfortunately, there is one driver who, for the rest of his life, is going to look up every time he goes under an overpass.”

Route 1 southbound was closed for about two hours in the area of the incident on Aug. 17. It reopened around 4:30 p.m.