LEBANON — A tanker truck and car had to be towed from the scene of an early morning accident on Carl Broggi Highway.
The accident occurred around 6:40 a.m. when it appears a 2006 Chevrolet Malibu attempted to turn onto Carl Broggi Highway from Spruce Street and did not see a tanker truck traveling westbound, said Lebanon Rescue Assistant Chief Jason Cole. The tanker truck attempted to avoid the collision and skidded sideways until it rolled over in a ditch, Cole said.
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The Lebanon Fire and Rescue departments and Maine State Police responded to the scene. The drivers of both the car and the tanker truck, whose identities are not being released at this time, were taken to Goodall Hospital in Sanford with non-life threatening injuries, Cole said. The driver of the tanker truck was wearing a seat belt, but the driver of the Malibu was not, he said.
“Had (the driver of the tanker truck) not seen the car coming onto the highway, he would have had a direct crash into the driver’s side of the car and I am positive the outcome would have been more serious,” he said. “The collision was still severe, but the truck driver probably saved the life of the other driver by quickly reacting to the car entering the road in front of him.”
Authorities say the tanker truck was carrying calcium carbonate, a white chalk-like substance derived from limestone and used in many antacids and as a sodium-free version of baking soda. While the truck was full, its contents did not pose a hazard. Cole said there was diesel fuel spilled from the tanker truck as a result of the accident, which was absorbed by sand, speedy dry and pads.
Crews were on the scene until 11:30 a.m. Traffic was rerouted as four wreckers worked to remove the tanker truck. Maine Department of Transportation and Department of Environmental Protection both responded to help with clean up. Maine State Police are investigating the accident.
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