A 44-year-old Baileyville woman was seriously hurt at approximately 8 p.m. Thursday when an ATV she was riding – and which was being driven by an 8-year-old girl – apparently went into reverse and went down an embankment at an Alexander gravel pit.

The incident is under investigation.

Pam Landry, 44, of Baileyville, was the passenger in a 2008 Polaris RZR (Razor) near the top of an embankment when, according to the juvenile driver, the ATV “unexpectedly” went into reverse, according to Maine Warden Service Game Warden Joe Gardner. The change in gear caused the vehicle to lurch into reverse and travel at a fast rate of speed a distance of 100 feet as it went down a 30-foot drop.

The gravel pit is located at the end of Wapsaconhagon Road, which is off Route 9, in Alexander.

The ATV rolled over the top of an 8- to 10-foot high boulder and came to rest upside down on Mrs. Landry, who was ejected from the vehicle. She was transported to Calais Regional Hospital by Baileyville/Downeast EMS, and then transported by LifeFlight to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, where she was listed in serious condition.

The juvenile was wearing a helmet and was seat-buckled into the vehicle, Gardner said. “Those actions likely saved her life,” Gardner said. Landry was not wearing a helmet or a seatbelt.

Mrs. Landry’s husband, Ernest, was driving a separate ATV and witnessed the incident. He called 9-1-1.

Maine State Police Officer Jason Fowler and Washington County Sheriff’s Officer Shawn Donohue assisted at the scene.