MASARDIS, Maine — Maine State Police Troop F spent much of Monday responding to and investigating three separate crashes involving tractor-trailers across northern Maine, with icy road conditions and heavy loads contributing to multiple incidents that disrupted traffic and damaged vehicles and infrastructure.
The first crash was reported shortly after 9 a.m. on Route 11 in Masardis, where a tractor-trailer became entangled in power lines. Troopers determined the driver had just received a load of wood from a local mill and attempted to cross an intersection at the mill with an overfilled load. The boom on the vehicle and the load on the trailer struck the overhead lines, leaving the truck stuck and blocking the northbound lane of travel for several hours.
State police were assisted at the scene by the Ashland Fire Department, Masardis Fire Department, Maine Forest Service, Ashland EMS and Versant Power.
About a half hour later, at approximately 9:36 a.m., troopers were called to Portage Road in Nashville Plantation for a report of a vehicle off the roadway. Investigators said icy conditions caused a 2007 Kia Spectra to slide off the road and strike a guardrail. A Maine Forest Service ranger who was nearby responded to help with traffic control while troopers were en route.
As a wrecker was working to recover the Kia, the ranger attempted to shut down the roadway north of the crash scene using emergency lights. At that time, a 2016 Western Star log truck with a loaded trailer rounded a blind corner near the scene. The driver attempted to brake, but the truck began sliding on the icy surface, jackknifed, and struck the rear of the Maine Forest Service vehicle.
The forest ranger was outside the patrol vehicle at the time. The driver of the Kia was inside the Maine Forest Service vehicle when it was hit and was transported to the hospital by Ashland Ambulance Service with minor injuries. The Kia and the Forest Service vehicle were towed due to disabling damage. The forest ranger and the tractor-trailer driver were not injured.
Ashland Fire Department personnel assisted with traffic control while the crash was investigated. Troopers were assisted by the Maine Forest Service, the Maine State Police Commercial Vehicle Unit, Ashland Ambulance Service and Ashland Fire Department. The investigation remains ongoing.
A third tractor-trailer crash was reported shortly after noon near the intersection of Route 11 and Winding Hill Road in Patten. State police said the vehicle left the roadway, striking three utility poles and bringing power lines down across both lanes of travel. Troopers determined the driver lost control due to icy road conditions. The roadway was closed for several hours while crews worked the scene.
