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75-vehicle pileup on I-95 largest chain-reaction crash in Maine

CARMEL, Maine — A combination of snow, speed and a busy morning commute Wednesday led to what may be the largest chain-reaction crash in state history.

Interstate 95 was shut down to northbound travel between Newport and Bangor for more than four hours after 75 vehicles slid, spun, slammed into each other and skidded off the snow-slickened highway.

“I’m absolutely shocked we don’t have any fatalities,” Maine State Police Lt. Sean Hashey, Troop E commander, said during a 2:30 p.m. press conference in Bangor shortly after the highway was reopened to traffic.

He said Hollywood movie makers could not have created a more disturbing scene.

“We had a lot of broken bones,” Hashey said later. “We had vehicles, literally, wedged together.”

Vehicles were heavily damaged in the collisions that stretched for about three miles starting near mile marker 173 in Carmel. Speed, following too closely, the weather conditions and limited visibility all played a role in the worst highway crash in recent history, Hashey said.

“If this wasn’t the largest multiple-vehicle crash ever in Maine in terms of numbers, it has to be in the top three,” said state police spokesman Stephen McCausland, adding it was the most extensive accident he could recall in his 27-year career.

At least 17 people were taken to Bangor hospitals, according to officials at the medical facilities, and Hashey said that there were others who sought treatment on their own.

In addition to those injured in the crash, which included a pregnant woman, another person had a heart attack after the collision, the lieutenant said. An off-duty emergency medical technician-firefighter from Waterville, Al Nygren, came upon the collision and was on hand to assist with the cardiac issue until the person was taken to the hospital, Hashey said.

Because the vehicles were so closely crammed together after the crash, responding troopers could be seen “walking on the tops of the vehicles” to check on occupants, the lieutenant said.

Both northbound lanes were closed soon after 7:30 a.m. when the accident began in Carmel. Traffic quickly backed up and dozens of drivers were stuck for hours. One lane reopened to traffic at about 11:30 a.m.

The initial crash involved more than 25 vehicles and led to a series of other chain-reaction wrecks leading up to the crash site, Hashey said.

“There was a lot of subsequent collisions caused by the roadway being blocked,” he said.

The initial 911 call was placed at 7:34 a.m. and came from a motorist who skidded off the roadway.

“From there, it turned into the initial pileup,” Hashey said.

Several different scenarios about how the first collision occurred have been circulated, including one where the person fled the scene. Hashey said while the investigation is still ongoing, he believes that “we’ll never know exactly who hit who.”

“I wouldn’t say the person fled the scene,” he added.

At least 50 vehicles had to be towed from the area, while another 25 were damaged but driveable.

https://bangordailynews.com/2015/02/25/news/bangor/police-75-vehicle-pileup-on-i-95-largest-chain-reaction-crash-in-maine/