AUGUSTA — The lanes of Interstate 95 between exit 113 in Augusta and exit 120 in Sidney reopened early Monday evening after being shut down for much of the day following a crash.

The lanes were closed from 11 a.m. to around 4:35 p.m. to allow a tractor-trailer that crashed there overnight to be removed, Maine State Police said. The truck was left off the road until wreckers could be scheduled to tow it out Monday, according to Steve McCausland, spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety.

The truck was headed for Presque Isle carrying large rolls of paper, which also had to be removed by a crane. The large pieces of equipment used to remove the truck and paper rolls used both northbound lanes of Interstate 95 for the clean-up effort.

The driver of the truck, Mohammed Syed, 47, of Orlando, Fla., suffered minor cuts and bruises but refused medical attention, according to McCausland. No violations were cited.

Trooper Jesse Duda was following the truck and witnessed the crash. He also helped kick out the truck’s windshield so Syed could get out.

Police said Syed swerved to avoid hitting a pickup truck driven by Spencer Thornton, 23, of Skowhegan, that had braked in front of his rig. The tractor-trailer spun around and ended up on its side in the ditch.

Syed’s truck tapped the pickup’s bumper during the incident, causing minor damage, but troopers said his quick actions steered the big rig away from the pickup.

Authorities detoured traffic around the site.


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