AUBURN – A man admiring his new cell phone Tuesday was struck by a van as he stepped out onto Center Street with the device.

Scott Rice, 31, of Lewiston, escaped serious injury when he bounced over the hood of the van and landed on the windshield about 1:45 p.m.

Rice was taken to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston, where he was treated for bumps and scrapes and released.

The driver of the van, 53-year-old Maurice A. Gagne of Lewiston, was not hurt. The front end of his GMC was crushed and the windshield was smashed. Worse, the impact caused his radiator to burst and the van was no longer drivable.

Police said Rice was walking out of a cell phone store, headed toward a plaza across Center Street, when he was struck. Police Officer Jason Moore said Gagne was slowing down at the time and attempted to stop before striking Rice. He was not charged.

Police said Rice’s new cell phone was in a box when he was struck. The box was crushed but the phone survived the wreck without damage.