2 men escape serious injury when pickup truck rolls over on I-95

By Ryan McLaughlin, BDN Staff

Posted Jan. 20, 2012, at 11:02 a.m.
Last modified Jan. 20, 2012, at 3:36 p.m.

HAMPDEN, Maine — A pair of tourists avoided serious injury Friday morning when their pickup truck left Interstate 95 in Hampden, rolled over and came to rest in the median strip, according to Maine State Police.

State police Trooper Chris Johnston said David Mackey, 34, of Columbia, S.C., and William Leblanc, 40, of Rhode Island were headed northbound just after 10 a.m. when the pickup rolled over just south of the Hampden rest area.

The Hampden rest area on the northbound side is approximately two miles north of the Carmel-Winterport exit.

Johnston said Mackey was traveling too fast for the road conditions, which were fairly slick at the time due to an overnight snowfall.

“It wasn’t the worst I’ve seen it, but there was some ice and snow [on the road],” Johnston said. “It wasn’t actively snowing; the skies had cleared.”

Johnston also cited Mackey’s inexperience in driving in snowy weather as another factor in the crash.

Both men were wearing their seat belts, which likely prevented severe injuries, the trooper said.

“It saved them from getting a broken neck,” Johnston said. “Anybody in a rollover accident is fortunate to come out of it unscathed with injuries that are minimal.”

The men were checked out by paramedics at the scene but did not require a trip to the hospital, Johnston said.