Staff Writer
MAPLETON – Slippery road conditions and driver inexperience were reported to be the causes of a Nov. 13 rollover on Griffin Ridge Road.
The accident occurred at approximately 7:50 a.m. just north of the old transfer station. About an inch of snow from the night before remained on area roadways, with road crews busy making their rounds to plow and sand.
Staff photo/Kathy McCarty
HAZARDOUS ROAD CONDITIONS was being blamed for a rollover Tuesday morning on the Griffin Ridge Road in Mapleton. Keenan Eaton, 16, and his father, Mike Eaton, 43, received minor bruises in the accident. The family SUV sustained over $1,000 in damage and had to be towed from the scene. Here, Mike Eaton holds his son’s backpack as he waits for the family vehicle to be loaded on the wrecker.
“Keenan Eaton, 16, was driving south when he came around a curve in the road and lost control on the icy road. He and his father, Mike Eaton, 43, both of Mapleton, were the only occupants of the vehicle,” said Trooper Shawn Whalen, of the Maine State Police. “The younger Eaton was operating with a driver’s permit. He just didn’t have enough experience to know how to handle these road conditions.”
Whalen indicated father and son were wearing their seatbelts at the time of the accident. Although trapped briefly in the 2004 Ford Explorer, both Eatons were freed and reported to have only minor bruises as the result of going off the road.
“They’re lucky. No one was seriously injured,” said Whalen.
When emergency personnel arrived, the SUV – which had originally been headed south – was leaning to its right, facing north. Skid marks indicated where the Explorer crossed the road from its travel lane, landing on the opposite side in a stand of small saplings. The Eatons stood by as a crew from Bernier’s, a towing company from Mapleton, worked to load the SUV on a flatbed truck. Whalen estimated damage to the vehicle at over $1,000.
Also responding to assist were the Mapleton Fire Department and Crown Ambulance.
As winter weather begins to grasp Aroostook County, law enforcement encourages caution when traveling.
“I’m sure this won’t be the last weather-related accident this season. Drivers need to use caution and allow more time for travel when roads are snow and ice covered,” said Whalen.
