JACKMAN, Maine — Charges will not be filed against a truck driver whose rig crashed into a house in Jackman this summer, killing a 5-year-old boy.
Christian Cloutier, 57, of Quebec crashed into a two-story apartment building on U.S. Route 201 after his rig struck two utility poles, flipped onto its side and spilled its load of tree-length logs against the home, killing Liam Mahaney.
Assistant Somerset County District Attorney Brent Davis said that the factors in the accident did not warrant criminal charges.
“The investigation done by the [Maine] State Police and the Sheriff’s Department, their conclusion was speed was not a factor in the accident,” said Davis. “It was determined that the cause of the accident was the driver falling asleep, possibly [because of] a medical condition.”
Somerset County District Attorney Evert Fowle had left work late Wednesday afternoon and all questions were referred to Davis.
Cloutier had told police he had fallen asleep at the wheel before the accident.
The impact of the crash caused the second story of the home to crash down onto the first.
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- Officials survey the scene where a logging truck crashed into a home, sending logs rolling into the house and killing a 5-year-old boy in Jackman on July 19, 2011. Authorities report that the truck was passing through Jackman near the Canadian border at about 2:30 a.m. when it struck telephone poles, rolled onto its side next to the house and spilled its logs.
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