Three people were taken to area hospitals, two with serious injuries, following a car crash in Standish that shut down Route 25 for 5½ hours on Monday.

The crash, which occurred about 9 a.m., involved a Hammond Lumber Co. truck that spilled its load on the road.

A 2002 Ford Econoline van driven by Edmund Seeley, 51 of Lewiston was headed west on Route 25, near Standish Tire, when it slowed to make a left turn, according to a press release from the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office.

A 2002 Mack truck owned by Hammond Lumber and driven by Mathew Wight, 30, of Westbrook also was headed in that direction. Wight was distracted and did not see the van stop, hitting it in the rear and pushing into oncoming traffic in the eastbound lane. There, the van collided head on with a 2008 Ford F-350 pickup driven by Clayton Barker, 59 of Standish.

The occupants of the van, Seeley and Richard Shaw, 54 of Auburn, were taken to Maine Medical Center in Portland with serious injuries.

Barker was taken to Mercy Hospital in Portland with injuries the sheriff’s office said were not life-threatening.

Advertisement

Wight suffered cuts and bruises but was not taken to the hospital.

The Maine Department of Environmental Protection was summoned to deal with leaking diesel fuel from the lumber truck.

The Maine State Police commercial vehicle unit and the sheriff’s office are investigating to determine whether other factors may have contributed to the crash.

David Hench can be contacted at 791-6327 or at:

dhench@mainetoday.com

Twitter: @Mainehenchman


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.