CARRABASSETT VALLEY – Two men were hospitalized after the driver of a pickup truck steered it off Route 27 into a ditch Friday morning, police said.
Wade Downing, 29, of Belgrade, and Eric Sillanpaa, 31, of Rome, were heading north to Eustis for a fishing trip when Downing steered the Ford F250 into a ditch beside Route 27 near Carrabassett Valley village around 9:40 a.m., police officer Ronnie Blodgett said Friday.
An Adelphia employee who was traveling behind the pickup reported seeing the truck travel about 150 feet in the ditch, then hit a culvert launching it about 15 feet into the air, Blodgett said. The truck flew about 60 feet coming to a stop on its wheels, he said.
The Adelphia driver reported that the vehicle didn’t appear to be traveling fast, estimating its speed to be about 55 to 60 mph. The incident occurred on one of the rare straight sections of Route 27 between Kingfield and Carrabassett Valley.
Debris, including the motor from a fishing skiff that was in the bed of the pickup, was scattered across the road forcing police and firefighters to close one lane of Route 27 for about an hour, Blodgett said.
The pickup was totaled, he said; the boat received a dent but was probably still serviceable.
It had not been determined Friday what caused the accident nor was it known whether either of the truck’s occupants was wearing a seat belt, according to Blodgett.
Both Downing and Sillanpaa were taken to Franklin Memorial Hospital, where Downing was admitted. Sillanpaa was transferred by helicopter to another hospital in serious condition, according a representative of Franklin Memorial. Downing was admitted and was listed in stable condition Saturday.
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