Auto Accidents

September 22, 2009

Crash in Elliotsville injures 3; Coburn Roberts arrested

Coburn Roberts, 26, was arrested and charged with leaving the scene of a personal injury accident, operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of intoxicants and operating after suspension. He is expected to make his initial court appearance on Oct. 26 in 13th District Court in Dover-Foxcroft.

Roberts was at the wheel of a Chevrolet pickup truck that left the road in Drew Valley in Elliotsville at about 8:14 p.m. Saturday, according to Investigator Jamie Kane of the Piscataquis County Sheriff’s Department. Elliotsville is between Monson and Willimantic. He said the driver lost control of the vehicle and it went down an embankment.

Kane said Roberts left the vehicle despite the fact his three passengers were injured. He said the three passengers — Steven Roberts, 37, of Guilford; Kirk Thornley, 24, of Monson; and Konrad Thornley, 27, of Bradley — were taken by ambulance to Mayo Regional Hospital in Dover-Foxcroft and Kirk Thornley was later taken to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor.

September 19, 2009

Three Vehicle Crash in Littleton

by Peter Thompson & Associates

James Westerdahl, 75, of Littleton, was in serious condition at Eastern Maine Medical Center today after a three vehicle crash on North Street early on Wednesday evening. According to the Bangor Daily News, Westerdahl was driving southbound in his GMC truck, lost control of the truck and swerved into the northbound lane, directly into the path of an oncoming tractor trailer.

The tractor trailer was driven by James Sprague, 57, of Nobleboro. Sprague attempted to swerve when he saw Westerdahl coming toward him, but he couldn’t get out of the way in time and the two vehicles collided.

Meanwhile, Melissa Radatv, 25, who was following Sprague’s truck, saw what was happening and attempted to avoid the crash. But pieces of debris struck her truck and she careened off the road.

September 19, 2009

Fatal crash in Stockton Springs

by Peter Thompson & Associates

A fatal crash occurred on Route 1 around 11:00 pm on Thursday. Authorities say a pickup truck, driven by 32 year old Chadwick Sage crossed the center line. The pickup crashed head on with a commercial truck driven by Richard Turner of Thomaston.

Deputies say the delivery truck traveled about 150-200 feet before rolling over and bursting into flames. Turner was able to get out of the truck and was taken to Waldo County General Hospital for what authorities say were non-life threatening injuries. Sage was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police authorities are investigating this accident.

September 17, 2009

Head on crash in Freeport leaves one driver severely injured

by Peter Thompson & Associates

Wednesday, September 16, 2009:sA two-car, head-on collision occurred on Route 1 in Freeport near the Exit 24 ramp that provides access to Interstate 295. Police said the cars were traveling in opposite directions at the time of the accident, which took place around 3:45 p.m.

Police said one of the drivers was treated at the scene and released, but the second driver had to be transported by ambulance to Maine Medical Center in Portland with injuries that are not considered life threatening.

The cause of the accident has not yet been released. Anyone with information about this accident should contact Attorney Peter Thompson at 1-800-804-2004.

September 11, 2009

Collision in Downtown Norridgewock Leaves Driver Seriously Injured

by Peter Thompson & Associates

Christopher Breingan of Norridgewock was seriously injured Wednesday in an early morning collision with a tractor-trailer, the Morning Sentinel reported on September 10th. Mr. Breingan, 25, suffered head and hip injuries after being pinned inside his 1987 Chevrolet pickup truck.

The accident happened at around 3:30 a.m. at the intersection of Main Street, Perkins Street and Bridge Street, on U. . Route 2. A Kenworth tractor-trailer owned by Tremblay & Levesque Inc., driven by William Spencer, 67, of Howland, slammed into Mr. Breingan’s pickup truck on the driver’s side as the truck was proceeding through the intersection toward Perkins Street. Breingan was trapped inside the truck, and was rescued by members of the Norridgewock Fire Department using hydraulic cutting tools.

The pickup truck was totaled and tractor-trailer had approximately $10,000 in damage, according to police. Breingan was taken by helicopter to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston. There is still no word on his condition.

September 4, 2009

Truck Plunges offsMonmouth Bridge in Near Collision

by Peter Thompson & Associates

Andrew St. Laurent was driving with Randall Black when Black’s truck plunged off a one-lane bridge in Monmouth and into an Annabessacook Lake tributary, the Kennebec Journal reported on September 2nd.

The crash occurred around 3:30 p.m. when Black’s Pat Jackson Inc. septic truck hit a flatbed truck being driven by 74 year-old Perry Malcolm. Black says he was unable to stop, and drove his truck to the right, through the guard rail and off the bridge to avoid a head-on collision. St. Laurent, whose son will marry Black’s daughter in a few weeks, reached across the top of the cab to hold Black’s head above water until rescuers could free both men.

St. Laurent was checked at the scene, but Black was rushed by ambulance to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston. He suffered no broken bones, but his kidneys may have been damaged when he was crushed between the truck and guard rail. He is scheduled for medical tests to see how badly he was hurt.

September 3, 2009

Route 17 accident in Dixfield leaves one person dead

by Peter Thompson & Associates

One person is dead in Franklin County after a serious accident involving a tractor-trailer, a sedan and a pickup truck.

It happened on U. . Route 2 Thursday afternoon. Route 2 is shut down from the Route 17 intersection in Dixfield to Morrison Hill Road in Carthage.

Investigators say a person in the sedan was dead at the scene. Four people in the pickup truck were taken to the hospital with serious injuries. The driver of the tractor-trailer was not injured.

September 3, 2009

Four car crash in Casco results in two people be taken to hospital

by Peter Thompson & Associates

Two people were transported to the hospital Wednesday morning after a four-car crash on Route 302.

According to news reports, the driver of a Subaru Legacy was in the eastbound lane, preparing to turn left across traffic to visit a local business when the car was hit from behind by a Chrysler PT Cruiser at 7 a.m., according to the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office.

The collision drove the Subaru into oncoming traffic, where it collided with a Dodge pickup that was then hit by a Nissan Pathfinder that was also westbound.

August 28, 2009

Parents of Crash Victim Sue Bars That Served Him

by Peter Thompson & Associates

The parents of a man who suffered extensive injuries in a car crash are suing the bars that served him alcohol, the Kennebec Journal reported on August 22nd. On the night of January 31, 2008, Paul D. Hinerman went drinking with a friend at Mainely Brews & Tavern, the Midnight Blues Club and Cellar Door, and The Chez. According to reports, Waterville police Officer Matthew McNutt saw the pickup shortly after midnight as Hinerman raced past the station on Front Street. Moments later, the vehicle crashed at Front Street and College Avenue, rolled over and trapped Hinerman underneath.

As a result of his injuries, Hinerman, 30, who had been a high school varsity athlete, was forced to spend months in hospitals and rehabilitation centers. According to the lawsuit, he now “has the mental capacity of a child with nearly complete short-term memory loss, speech impairment and loss of mobility and function.”sHe was discharged from the hospital in May 2008 with medical bills in excess of $400,000, according to the complaint.

The lawsuit charges the bars with recklessness in serving Hinerman, “given his visible and observable intoxication and in conscious disregard of the obvious and substantial risk that serving liquor would cause physical harm.”sNot surprisingly, the bars have responded that in fact their serving practices are responsible and it is unfair for them to be held liable for a customer’s own recklessness.

August 28, 2009

Multi-car Accident in Scarborough Closes Route 1

by Peter Thompson & Associates

On Thursday, August 27, 2009, a serious multi-vehicle crash on Route 1. The crash happened at about 7 p.m. Thursday near the intersection of Route 1 and Pine Point Road.

Police said two people were transported to the hospital with unknown injuries.

Cases such as this one are complicated and require a thorough investigation into the physical evidence at the scene (e.g., skid marks and road debris), the damage to the vehicles, and the observations of witnesses. Above all, it will be critical to obtain witness statements while memories of the events are still fresh. As Portland and Bangor attorneys with a statewide personal injury law practice and a reputation for aggressive prosecution of injury claims, we have investigated thousands of multicar accidents using expert accident reconstructionists to determine which driver or drivers caused the accident.