Truck Accident Lawyer News

BRUNSWICK, ME – An early morning truck accident closed down part of a highway in Cumberland County, Maine for several hours Sunday, February 20. The semi driver was on Interstate 295 when he suddenly lost control and went off the highway near the city of Brunswick, ME. The truck accident area is in the far southeast tip of the state, about 106 miles southwest of Bangor, ME and about 78 miles north of Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

On Sunday morning Frederick Durkee of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada was driving a semi trailer truck through Maine. The tractor trailer is owned by Chebogue Fisheries, Ltd of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia and was carrying approximately 20,000 pounds of fish at the time of the truck accident. The semi driver was headed to Boston, Massachusetts when the crash occurred.

Just before 1:30 a.m. Sunday the semi truck had reached Cumberland County, traveling south on Interstate 295. As the semi driver approached the #38 exit near the city of Brunswick he suddenly lost control of the 18 wheeler. According to reports on the truck accident, it was very windy and a strong gust caught the trailer section and blew the semi across the interstate. The driver tried to regain control but was unable to keep the tractor trailer on the highway. The semi truck went off I-295 and crashed in the deep snow covered area next to the interstate.

No other persons or vehicles were involved in the truck accident.

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Brunswick emergency personnel quickly arrived at the single vehicle crash site. The semi driver, Mr. Durkee, was able to get out of the cab section and was not injured in the truck accident. The 18 wheeler was stuck in the deep snow mounds piled next to I-295 but was not heavily damaged. The trailer section remained intact during the crash and none of the cargo of fish spilled out onto the highway.

Maine State Police Troopers were also at the scene of the truck accident and shut down a section of southbound I-295 for several hours Sunday morning. Officers with the Maine Department of Transportation helped to detour motorists off the interstate at exit #28 and reroute the vehicles to Pleasant Street. Drivers had to travel a short distance on Route 1 before being allowed to reenter southbound I-295.

South Portland based Stewart’s Towing was put in charge of clearing the truck accident scene and hauling the disabled semi off the highway. The crew used a heavy duty wrecker with a crane to stabilize the tractor trailer and move it to a more level surface on the shoulder of the interstate. The clean-up operation took several hours and the sun was up by the time the work team got the semi truck out of the snow and hauled away. After the tractor trailer was removed, MDOT sent in a snow plow to clear the snow and put salt on the interstate.

Maine State Police Troopers finally reopened all southbound lanes of I-295 shortly before 8:00 a.m. Sunday morning, more than six hours after the truck accident.

Authorities have reconstructed the single vehicle incident but have not yet released a final report. According to one MSP trooper who talked to the semi driver, Mr. Durkee told police that he was looking at the moon and apparently was distracted. Strong winds were blowing the snow across the highway at the time of the truck accident and a strong gust caught the trailer section and threw it off balance. It appears the semi driver lost control because he was looking at the moon and may have responded too late to the strong winds.

No charges have been brought at this time and the truck accident is still under investigation.

Often times the truck company and the truck driver will be from other states other than where the accident occurred. Truck accident attorneys often times have relationships with other experienced truck accident lawyers licensed in other states. Gordon, Elias & Seely LLP are licensed in Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana and Washington, DC and have informal relationships with other truck accident lawyers. Visit their ME truck accident lawyer page for more information about Maine truck accidents or call toll free 24/7 at 1.800.773.6770.

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