Five cars were involved in a crash near Exit 43 of Interstate 295 in Richmond. Traffic was stopped for around half an hour Friday night. Submitted photo
RICHMOND — One arrest was made and multiple people were injured Friday night after an individual driving under the influence caused a five-car crash on Interstate 295 near the Richmond exit, police said.
The first crash happened at approximately 9:25 p.m. and ended in the arrest of 39-year-old Steven Trask of Topsham by Sagadahoc County Sheriff deputies on a charge of operating under the influence. Police said Trask showed signs of impaired driving when his vehicle crashed into a tractor trailer unit.
Trask’s vehicle, a Nissan Altima, sideswiped a trailer portion of the truck, which caused Trask to lose control of his vehicle and exit the roadway on the median side near Exit 43, according to a news release from Shannon Moss, the public information officer for the state’s Department of Public Safety.
After the initial crash, three other vehicles were involved in a secondary collision when the lead vehicle — a Honda Accord — slowed in the area of the first crash.
A second vehicle, a Subaru Impreza, ran into the rear of the Honda Accord and caused minor damage before a third vehicle, a Toyota Camry still traveling at highway speed, crashed into the Subaru Impreza, which was pushed near the median on impact.
Five cars were involved in a crash Friday night near Exit 43 of Interstate 295 in Richmond. Submitted photo
The driver of the Honda Accord was not injured, but all passengers inside the Subaru Impreza were injured, according to Moss.
One of the backseat passengers of the Subaru was a 17-year-old who sustained life-threatening injuries and was transported to a local hospital. Three other occupants sustained non-life-threatening injuries, according to Moss. The driver of the Toyota Camry was treated for minor injuries at the scene by EMS services.
Traffic was shut down and traffic was diverted off Exit 43 for around 30 minutes, Moss said, adding Topsham, Gardiner and Richmond fire responded to the scene.
Moss said on Saturday afternoon that the crash remains under investigation.
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