AUBURN – A week after retiring from the Lewiston police force, former Lt. Tom Avery was back in action Tuesday night.
Avery was the first civilian on the scene after a 9 p.m. crash on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Bridge left two people with minor injuries.
Police and witnesses said 53-year-old Margaret King was driving from Auburn toward Lewiston when she lost control of her Chevrolet Celebrity. The car slid sideways in the road for at least 60 feet before crashing into a guardrail and landing in tall grass on the other side of the rail, a witness said.
King was charged with driving while intoxicated.
Riding with her was Ken Brown, 44, of Greene, Lt. Scott Watkins said.
By the time Avery stopped his vehicle, Brown had crawled out of the crushed car, but King was still behind the wheel.
“She was combative, and she did not want to come out of there,” said Avery, a trained medical technician. “She was apparently concerned about her dog.”
Known as a cop who liked to get involved during his 24 years on the force, Avery said he did not hesitate to stop when he saw the car over the guardrail.
“Old habits die hard,” the former lieutenant said.
“I’m retired,” he said, “but I’m not blind.”
King’s dachshund named Sir Stanley was rattled in the crash but otherwise unharmed. Police said King refused to get out of her car, even after the dog was carried to safety by a firefighter.
Sir Stanley was taken for the night by Animal Control Officer Bentley Rathbun.
Several officers pulled the woman from the car and led her, fighting, to an ambulance. She was taken to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston. Brown spoke with firefighters and police for several minutes before he was taken to a hospital, as well. He was being examined for back pain Tuesday night.
It remained unclear what led to the crash that forced the closure of one lane on the Lewiston -bound side of the bridge.
Officers Dave Madore and Michael Chaine are handling the investigation, and Lewiston police helped out at the scene.
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