STANDISH

Driver injured in accident blamed on alcohol, speed

A Standish man suffered head injuries after crashing his car shortly after passing a deputy sheriff Saturday night.

The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office said the accident happened shortly after 8 p.m. on White’s Bridge Road. Deputy Sherry Sewell was driving east on White’s Bridge Road when she saw a black Lexus IS300 headed at high speed in the opposite direction. The Lexus was partially in Sewell’s lane, and she had to swerve to avoid a collision.

Sewell turned her cruiser around and found the Lexus crashed at the intersection of White’s Bridge Road and Leisure Point.

Charles J. Diamantopoulos, 32, the driver and only occupant of the car, was taken to Maine Medical Center for treatment for a head injury. There was no word on his condition. The sheriff’s office said alcohol, speed and failure to wear a seat belt were all factors in the accident and injury.

The car was destroyed, the sheriff’s office said.

YORK

Butcher shop’s gas cooker explodes, burning three people

Fire officials say a butane cooker exploded at a butcher shop in York, leaving three people with second-degree burns.

Fire Chief Chris Balentine says a vendor was cooking when the burner ignited, creating a fireball at about 4 p.m. Saturday at The Meat House.

Balentine says the vendor and two patrons were burned. York Hospital spokeswoman Dawn Fernald said Sunday morning that they were treated and released.

The state Fire Marshal’s Office and the Department of Agriculture are investigating the explosion.

BOSTON

Whale watch boat mishap still under investigation

Investigators are looking at why a whale watch boat went off course in Boston Harbor, hitting a ledge and forcing an evacuation.

Lt. Stephen West, assistant chief of investigations for the Coast Guard, said officials will examine why the 87-foot-long vessel carrying 174 passengers left the shipping channel Saturday.

Several passengers told the Boston Herald that the boat veered out of the channel when a barge approached.

The Boston Globe reported that Coast Guard Cmdr. Thomas Morkan said information was available with navigation charts indicating the channel and hazards.

William Spence, president of Massachusetts Bay Lines Inc., said in a statement that the captain immediately radioed a distress call when the ship hit an object and took on water.