Cumberland County Sheriff’s Deputy Daniel Place was transported to Maine Medical Center in Portland on Saturday after his cruiser collided with a 2006 Ford Superduty pickup truck on Route 302 in Raymond.
Place suffered minor injuries and was treated and released from the hospital. The driver of the pickup, Christopher Huntress, 23, of Naples, and a passenger escaped injury. But Place’s 2018 Chevy Tahoe cruiser and the truck had extensive damage and were towed from the crash scene.
Capt. Donald Foss of the sheriff’s office said Place’s cruiser was approaching a line of traffic that was at a standstill because of another vehicle crash when Huntress decided to make a U-turn in an effort to escape the gridlock and head back to Naples. Huntress did not see the cruiser and pulled in front of it. Place tried to avoid hitting the truck but was unable to.
The impact of the collision caused both vehicles to careen off the westbound side of Route 302, according to Foss. Both drivers were wearing seat belts, which Foss said “undoubtedly prevented serious injury.”
The deputy was not responding to an emergency call at the time, Foss said. The crash remains under investigation and no charges have been filed, but Foss said evidence suggests Huntress failed to yield the right-of-way.
The crash took place around 11:50 a.m. Saturday.
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