AUBURN – Seven people, six of them teenagers, were hurt Wednesday night when an SUV and a car collided on Minot Avenue.

Victims of the 5:30 p.m. crash at Minot Avenue and Garfield Road were taken to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston where they were being evaluated late Wednesday.

Police said the victims suffered a variety of injuries, some including broken bones, although none was believed to be life-threatening.

Police said the SUV, a Jeep Liberty, was being driven toward Mechanic Falls by Terry McAllister, 45, of 1348 Minot Ave., Auburn, with her 15-year-old daughter in the passenger seat.

It collided head-on with a Ford Mustang driven by 18-year-old Alexandre Baroudi of Lewiston Street in Mechanic Falls, who was headed in the opposite direction, police said.

Baroudi had four passengers, all of them 17-year-old boys from the area, police said. The impact demolished both vehicles and left some victims trapped in the wreckage.

Zach Yates, a volunteer Mechanic Falls firefighter, said he was riding in a friend’s car behind the SUV when it crashed.

Yates, 20, said a silver truck pulled out of Leighton’s Neighborhood Grocery Store and sped between the Jeep and the Mustang moments before those vehicles collided.

“It looked like he took off, like someone’s not sure if they have enough room but they’re going to go like a bat out of hell anyway,” Yates said of the truck leaving Leighton’s.

Yates said it appeared the truck may have caused the wreck as it forced the driver of the Mustang to swerve out of its way.

“The SUV nailed them right in the corner of the nose,” Yates said.

Police were investigating that aspect of the collision but said no evidence had been found that a third vehicle was involved.

Yates said he got out of the vehicle he had been riding in and was able to reach some of the people in the smashed vehicles, but could not get to all.

“I tried getting the door open, to no use,” Yates said, of one of the vehicles.

Moments later, police, fire and rescue crews were on the way.

Mike Raymond of Auburn said he was driving ahead of the Mustang when he witnessed the accident in his rearview mirror.

“The back of the car went in the air,” Raymond said.

He doubled back to check on everyone and helped out the mother and daughter in the SUV.

“They’re lucky to be alive,” Raymond said.

Several ambulances were needed to take the victims to the hospital in Lewiston. Police remained on Minot Avenue, beginning a reconstruction of the crash scene and closing a section of the four-lane highway.

Auburn police were continuing to investigate.

An Auburn police officer escaped serious injury but damaged a cruiser while responding to a second crash a half mile away at about 6 p.m.

Police Lt. Tim Cougle was heading to a crash at Minot Avenue and Merrow Road when he slowed to avoid a crowd, struck a culvert and went airborne momentarily.

The cruiser crashed down onto a lawn and struck several tree branches before stopping. Cougle was not hurt. The Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Department was investigating that crash.