Multi-Car Crash on Maine Turnpike Started with Wrong-Way Driver

An accident on the Maine Turnpike on Wednesday started when a pickup truck entered the highway, driving in the wrong direction.

State Police were first alerted just after 2 p.m. Wednesday, when the Augusta Regional Communication Center received a complaint of a pickup truck traveling northbound in the southbound lane of the Maine Turnpike in Cumberland. Just a couple minutes later, the RCC started getting reports of several vehicles that had been struck by the driver, just north of the Cumberland service plaza.

When police arrived, they found five vehicles that were involved in the accident. A witness said the Chevy Silverado pickup left the service plaza, traveling in the wrong direction, before striking the vehicles within a half mile of the plaza.

Officials say the 73-year-old driver is not believed to have been impaired at the time of the accident. Both he and the driver of a Saab received minor injuries. No one else was hurt in the crash.

Police say the accident remains under investigation but no charges are expected.