TOPSHAM

A Topsham man who runs a tow truck service was injured Monday morning after the police cruiser he was unloading from a flatbed truck ran over him.

The truck operator, Stanley Williams, 53, of Anytime Wrecker Service in Topsham, was transported to Maine Medical Center following the incident, which was reported at around 10 a.m. Williams brother, Ralph Williams, said early this afternoon his brother is expected to be released from the hospital sometime today.

According to Sgt. Fred Dunn, the cruiser had a mechanical problem and was towed by Anytime Wrecker Service to Mailly Motors at 62 Tedford Road.

Topsham officer Troy Garrison witnessed the incident but was unable to do anything but watch it unfold. He said the cruiser door was open and Williams, who was on the ramp with the car, reached in to put it in reverse, and the car took off as Williams was holding the steering wheel, dragging him down the ramp. The front tire caught his front leg and pulled him off the steering wheel, Garrison said. The tire ran over Williams from around the right hip area to the left shoulder.

Ralph Williams said Monday that his niece, Cindy Williams of Topsham, was working with her father, Stanley Williams, on Monday. Cindy had checked on her dad, who said he was all set, but as she walked around the truck the accident happened.

Ralph Williams said when the truck flatbed is down low to the ground, his brother often rolls the car off gradually to avoid damaging the bottom of the car. This time, it must have slipped his mind that the safety chain was off, Ralph Williams said. He said his brother likely had aimed to put the car into neutral and tried to hold the cruiser in place when is started rolling, but it dragged him down under the car instead and rolled over him. Ralph believes Stanley’s weak leg likely gave out on him.

The family had received several phone calls from people who heard about it on the scanner and wanted to check on Stanley and wish the family well, Ralph Williams said.

As he was leaving the hospital around 3:30 p.m. Monday, Ralph Williams said his brother sustained broken ribs and bad bruising, but had no apparent internal injuries or head injuries. 

Ralph Williams said his brother had open heart surgery in March 2011 and had just gone back to work a few months ago.

Ralph Williams said he and Cindy Williams were headed home to inform customers who have already been calling about what had happened, and “try to take care of (the business) as best we can until he can come back.”

They will work on contracting with a replacement driver.

The cruiser sustained very minor damage when the open cruiser door scraped against another truck.

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