Staff Writer
The weather on Thursday proved frightful for a number of motorists, as the first snow storm of the season created hazardous driving conditions, resulting in numerous accidents from Fort Fairfield to Ashland, Bridgewater to Washburn.
Staff photo /Kathy McCarty
TRICK OR TREAT? — Although Halloween is this weekend, Mother Nature got her tricks in early, blanketing Aroostook County with an average of six inches of snow on Thursday. The early snowfall left many motorists questioning their driving skills, with numerous weather-related accidents reported beginning late that afternoon and continuing through the early evening hours. Here, a resident of Presque Isle uses a snowblower to remove the unwelcomed white stuff from his driveway.
Fort Fairfield police responded to several snow-related calls, as snow froze on local roadways as temperatures dropped as night fell.
“We had multiple vehicles off the road,” said Sgt. Shawn Newell, Fort Fairfield Police Department.
Newell said one of the more serious calls involved a vehicle that went off the Dorsey Rd.
“The driver left the road due to road conditions and sideswiped a pole. There were no injuries and minimal damage to a utility pole,” he said.
Another accident involved a rollover, according to Newell.
“The department responded to a rollover on the Houlton Rd. The operator of the vehicle was traveling north when she lost control of her 2002 Isuzu SUV and went off the road, striking the ditch and rolling over once. Crown Ambulance was called and she was treated for minor injuries. The Isuzu was totaled,” said Newell.
Maine State Police also responded to a number of weather-related calls, including accidents in Bridgewater, Blaine, Mapleton, the Crouseville section of Washburn and Westfield. Police also investigated a rollover on the Parsons Rd. Details on that accident were not available at presstime.
The Presque Isle Police Department struggled to respond fast enough to accident reports in the community. The department hadn’t had a chance to get studded tires on all patrol vehicles when the first storm of the season hit. Officers kept their own speeds down when answering calls, to prevent their own vehicles from landing in the ditch.
In all, the PIPD responded to about 20 reports of vehicles off the road. One of the earliest reports received by the station was called in at 3:40 p.m. The accident involved an Easton driver who reportedly lost control of his vehicle on the Conant Rd., just west of the Marston Rd. intersection. According to the police log, the driver lost control, spun around and left the road backwards off the opposite side of the road, striking a utility pole. Sgt. Laurie Kelly and Officers Kevin Schumacher and Brian McQuarrie handled the calls — most of which involved varying degrees of property damage, with minimal personal injuries reported.. Accidents were reported on a number of area roads and streets, including: Fort Rd., Conant Rd., McBurnie Rd., Houlton Rd., State St. Extension; Reach Rd., Griffin St., State Rd., Main St., Washburn Rd., the intersection of Academy and Second streets, with the last call of the evening coming in at 8:03 p.m. reporting an accident on Academy St. near the intersection with the Conant Rd.
Police advise drivers to use caution when road conditions change. Snow may melt during daylight hours this time of year, but as darkness falls and temperatures drop, freezing can occur, resulting in slippery roads. Motorists are advised to allow extra travel time to get to their destination, reduce speed according to road conditions, keep lights and windows clear of snow and ice, and allow enough distance between vehicles so you can stop safely in case of an emergency situation.
