Two crashes involving tractor-trailer trucks, the second apparently the result of a bottleneck caused by the earlier accident, tied up traffic for hours Wednesday morning on the Maine Turnpike between Biddeford and Saco and resulted in one woman being hospitalized with serious injuries.
At one point during the morning commute, southbound traffic was backed up for about four miles, according to the Maine Turnpike Authority.
The first crash was reported around 2:45 a.m. when a tractor-trailer truck hauling Poland Spring water swerved left to avoid an animal, ran off the road and rolled over into the median at mile 32 in Biddeford, according to Maine State Police. Two lanes were closed for hours while crews cleared up debris from the crash.
At around 7:30 a.m., troopers responded to a crash at mile 34 southbound. An empty 2006 Peterbilt tractor-trailer truck driven by Sylvester Watkin, 51, of Virginia was unable to brake in time for traffic that had slowed because lanes were closed after the earlier accident, said Trooper Roger Teachout.
The truck struck two cars, which then crashed into other vehicles. At least three vehicles were destroyed, Teachout said.
Shawn Gagne, 56, of Old Orchard Beach was trapped inside her 2006 Toyota Matrix and was extricated by fire crews, according to state police. She was taken to Southern Maine Health Care in Biddeford and then transferred to Maine Medical Center in Portland for treatment of a broken shoulder, broken ribs, a broken arm and possible internal bleeding. Others involved in the crash had minor injuries and were treated at the scene.
The southbound center and right lanes were closed for two hours as crews cleaned up after the second crash.
Turnpike authority crews cleaned up fluids that leaked from the tractor-tailer. The Maine Department of Environmental Protection also responded to the scene.
No citations were issued.
Gillian Graham can be contacted at 791-6315 or at:
ggraham@pressherald.com
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
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.