PERU – Two people were reportedly seriously injured late Tuesday morning when the car they were in collided with a tractor-trailer on Route 108 in Peru, state police said.
Daniel Fowler, 27, of Mexico, and Nicole Hebert, 29, of Dixfield, were taken by Med-Care Ambulance to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston. A nursing supervisor contacted early Tuesday evening said she could not confirm that the two were still at the hospital.
But investigating Trooper Daniel Hanson said early Tuesday evening that the pair were still being treated at the Lewiston hospital.
“Their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening,” he said.
Hanson said that after the crash, Fowler was unconscious, but had regained consciousness when being transported.
Charles Saulters, 50, of Massachusetts, the driver of the southbound 2003 Freightliner tractor-trailer, was not injured, said Hanson.
The wreck occurred at 11:40 a.m. after Saulters rounded a corner near 418 Auburn Road, also known as Route 108, and immediately applied his brakes and took evasive action to avoid colliding with a northbound 1995 Chrysler Cirrus sedan being driven by Fowler, Hanson said.
“The car crossed the centerline into the path of the tractor-trailer, but the reason why is still under investigation,” he said.
“The truck driver did everything possible to avoid a collision. The truck had slowed considerably, and was out of the travel lane when the collision occurred,” Hanson said.
The car collided with steps leading up to the driver’s seat, then struck the tractor’s rear tires, flattening one and damaging the axle, he said.
The big rig came to rest on the southbound road shoulder and emergency lane, while the car was spun around, facing back the way it had come, and straddling the centerline.
Peru Fire Chief Bill Hussey said Fowler had to be removed from the car by Rumford firefighters using hydraulic tools.
“It took them 25 minutes to get the driver out. His legs were under the dashboard and the dash was on him, but (Hebert) was not trapped,” Hussey said.
Hussey said Med-Care paramedics, who were attending a training session at the Peru fire station three miles away, responded quickly.
“There were five paramedics at our station, so that was an advantage to the people in the vehicle. They had a lot of help quick,” he said.
Hussey said that the wreck scene has been the site of several crashes.
“It’s a high-speed stretch. A lot of people go pretty fast,” he said.
Hanson, however, said that the car’s speed did not appear to be a factor in the wreck.
“At this point, alcohol doesn’t appear to be a factor either,” he added.
Route 108 was shut down for five hours after the wreck while state police reconstructed the accident. Peru firefighters diverted traffic around the scene via Valley and Ridge roads.
The tractor-trailer, owned by J.P. Routhier and Sons Inc. of Littleton, Mass., was returning to Auburn after dropping off a load of shredded tires at the NewPage Corp. paper mill in Rumford, Hanson said.
Hanson said that Troopers Jim Corbett and Chris Cyr of the Maine State Police Commercial Enforcement Division in Augusta did not find any violations on the big rig, which was towed by Greeley’s of Auburn. The car was towed by M/T Pockets of Dixfield.
Also assisting were Troopers Scott Gosselin and Scot Sawyer, and reconstructionist Sgt. Rick McAllister.
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