Maine Injury Lawyer Blog
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.
So far it is unclear who is at fault. Malcolm, who was driving the flatbed for Sandelin Precast Products and Foundations, claims he slowed before going on the bridge and claims that Black was speeding. But Black disputes this account, insisting he was driving well under the limit and it was Malcolm who was racing down the one lane bridge.
Although there were no other eyewitnesses, there are still several ways to determine who’s at fault for this accident. As Portland and Bangor personal injury attorneys, Peter Thompson and Associates have handled scores of cases where the cause of the accident is initially unclear. We employ expert accident reconstructionists who study physical evidence at the scene, and we analyze witness statements, looking for inconsistencies, to determine the true cause of the accident. If Malcolm was indeed speeding, he or the company he works for could have to compensate Black for his medical bills, lost income, any permanent impairment as well as his pain and suffering.