A Rome man was taken to the hospital by helicopter Tuesday after he crashed his truck while being pursued by police.

Eric Bachand, 21, was found pinned inside a pickup truck that had crashed down a steep embankment and caught fire off Route 135 in Belgrade.

Maine State Police Cpl. Diane Vance, who had been pursuing the truck, used a fire extinguisher to douse the truck, which appeared to be on fire, with heavy smoke coming from it.

Bachand was pulled from the vehicle later by firefighters and taken to MaineGeneral Medical Center in Augusta, then flown by LifeFlight of Maine helicopter to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston.

Hospital officials had no information available on his condition Tuesday evening.

Vance was parked in a state police cruiser about 3:25 p.m. at Christy’s Store on Route 27 when she saw a black truck with no license plates traveling north. She pulled onto Route 27 and the driver of the truck accelerated quickly, heading west on Route 135 at a high speed, police said.

Vance turned on her cruiser’s lights and siren and pursued the truck. She lost sight of the vehicle, according to a statement from state police, as it rounded a corner. However, she then saw the truck had gone off the road and crashed down an embankment.

Police said Bachand had a revoked driver’s license.


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