LEWISTON – What appeared to be a minor league storm caused major league problems Thursday night for police across the region.
Starting just before nightfall, heavy, wet snow made roads slick, and the conditions were blamed for dozens of crashes and cars off the road.
In Sumner at about 4:15 p.m., a man and three children were hurt when the car they were riding in rolled over on Route 140.
Police said the three children suffered only minor injuries in the wreck. The driver of the four-door, 39-year-old Barry Bernard of Lewiston, was taken to Central Maine Medical Center with what police described as a serious head injury.
Bernard was listed in critical condition at the Lewiston hospital Thursday night. Maine State Police were assisting the Oxford County Sheriff’s Office in an investigation into the cause of the accident. The investigation was ongoing Thursday night.
Meanwhile, Maine State Police and county sheriff’s departments sent troopers and deputies to crashes and disabled vehicles into the night.
By 9 p.m., snow was tapering off in most areas, and the numbers of crashes was on the decline. Still, police were trying to catch up with the number of snow-related collisions.
“There are crashes everywhere,” said state police Trooper Tyler Stevenson. “We’re straight out.”
In Androscoggin County, both sheriff’s officials and state police were responding to crashes and cars that slid off roads. Few serious injuries were reported.
“It’s everywhere,” an Androscoggin County Sheriff’s dispatcher said. “Most of it is just property damage.”
In Greene, Maine State Police were investigating a crash involving a car that slid into a brook. No further details were available on that accident. It was not believed anyone was seriously injured.
In Oxford County, a dispatcher said he was too busy to count the number of snow-related accidents the department had handled. In Lewiston and Auburn, police handled more than a dozen crashes related to the storm between 5 and 9 p.m.
“Cars off the road, car versus pole, car versus tree,” said Lewiston police Sgt. David St. Pierre, reading through the reports. “There are quite a few.”
In Lewiston, there were seven crashes believed to be related to the weather. In Auburn, there were six. Today was expected to be warm with possible flurries.
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