Ambulance Hits Utility Pole And Knocks Out Power

An ambulance driver fell asleep at the wheel in Monticello and struck a utility pole, knocking out power to the region.

Maine State Police Corporal Dennis Quint said in a media release that the accident happened just before 1:00 Friday morning on U.W. Highway 1 in Monticello. A Caribou ambulance, driven by Nicholas Pelletier, was traveling north when it struck a utility pole. Pelletier said that after he fell asleep the vehicle drifted to the right of the roadway, hitting the pole hard enough to dislodge it from its base and a power transformer. The pole fell to the ground and the lines became tangled in the trees. This caused a power surge which led to the outage. Neither Pelletier or EMT John Thornton of Woodland was injured in the accident.

Highway 1 was shut down for about 3 hours due to power lines being in the road. Crews from Emera Maine responded, removed the lines, and restored power to the area. The ambulance suffered significant damage and was towed from the scene.

This crash remains under investigation.