COPLIN PLANTATION — A North New Portland man was thrown off a street sweeper Monday morning when a tractor-trailer struck the back of it on Route 16, Franklin County Sheriff Scott Nichols Sr. said.

Michael Churchill, 45, was operating the machine owned by Jordan Excavation when a 2013 Kenworth rig driven by Timothy Decker, 27, of Farmington ran into the back of it.

“The driver claimed he could not see the street sweeper due to the amount of dust in the air,” the sheriff said.

Churchill was flown to a hospital. Further information on his condition was not available.