AUGUSTA – Excessive speed was the cause of the crash that sent Gov. John Baldacci to the hospital, a state police report concluded Friday. The report also showed that the driver was operating in two-wheel drive despite a display in the vehicle that was advising four-wheel drive.

Based on the state police accident reconstruction report released Friday, Det. James Trask, who was driving Baldacci to Portland, was driving between 55 to 65 miles per hour on Interstate 295 in Bowdoin. Because of a storm, the speed limit had been lowered to 45 miles per hour. Road conditions were black ice, but the road had been salted, the report said.

The new $40,000 Chevrolet Suburban, which has less than 3,000 miles on it, was totaled. The vehicle it hit, a 2003 Toyota Camry driven by Timothy Putnam of Richmond, sustained $2,000 damage.

All three men involved in the crash, Putnam, Det. James Trask and the governor, did not receive major injuries. Baldacci did suffer a concussion and broken rib. He and Trask were transported to Maine Medical Center in Portland. After spending Wednesday at the hospital, Baldacci insisted on returning to the Blaine House that night. He was back to work on Thursday.

There will be no repercussions for Trask driving too fast, said Maine State Police spokesman Steve McCausland. Trask is a member of the Executive Protection Unit which guards the governor.

When asked about the speed by reporters Friday, Baldacci said the speed they were operating at “seemed prudent to me. We were traveling along with traffic.” They were not in a hurry, he said, adding that the “Eggs & Issues” event he was attending began at 7 a.m., and he wanted to be there between 6:30 or 6:45. The crash happened at 6:10 a.m. in Bowdoin. Baldacci said he thought the road was a “hard surface,” that the temperature was 35 degrees and above freezing. Then the SUV came upon a patch of ice “like a pond. The tires spun,” and the SUV hit the other vehicle. “Accidents happen. It could have been a lot worse,” Baldacci said. He praised Trask’s performance, saying Trask performed a great service to the state “and should get a commendation.”

The governor said he sees no reason to change from an SUV, unless it’s “a tank or a Humvee,” he joked.

Commander and Lt. William Snedenker, who oversees the unit Trask works for, also praised Trask. Despite Trask’s own injuries, he worked on the governor to keep him from losing consciousness. That’s what officers are trained to do, Snedenker said.

However witnesses at the scene, and now the police report, said the SUV was driving fast considering road conditions. And Trask’s driving record shows he was involved in 11 accidents since 1979, including Wednesday’s.

When asked if 11 accidents is high, McCausland said he could not answer that question and had no comparison. “We’re going back 25 years, and two of the accidents the vehicles were parked.” McCausland did not have further specifics on whose fault any of the accidents were. Of the 11 accidents, most involved property damage, two involved injuries.

McCausland added that typically state police officers drive 50,000 miles each year, and many spend the majority of their time behind the wheel.

What the report said

The reconstruction report said the governor’s SUV was headed south in I-95, as was Putnam’s Toyota. The SUV came from behind and was passing Putnam when Trask lost control The SUV struck the Toyota, put the sedan into a spin of 180 degrees before stopping on the median. The Toyota traveled 92 feet before stopping.

The SUV flew off the road into a ditch, turning clockwise, then landed on the driver’s side. It traveled 204 feet before stopping.

Marks on the Toyota were consistent “with a sideswipe from the Chevrolet,” the report said. It was driven from the scene.

The SUV was hauled to the Maine State Police Garage where it was powered up. Crash investigators noticed the vehicle was in two-wheel drive and there was a repeated message on the display scene advising four-wheel drive.

‘Greater appreciation for family’

During an interview at the State House Friday, Baldacci said throughout the ordeal he wasn’t worried about himself. He was worried “we were going to hurt somebody else. I knew we had hit a car when we were swerving. I called this morning and spoke to Tim Putnam and his wife.”

After the crash Baldacci said he also worried about his wife, Karen, their son, Jack, and what would happen to them if something happened to him. “I have a greater appreciation for family, not that it wasn’t always there. Each day is important.”

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