RUMFORD — A Public Works employee was injured in an accident with the town’s sidewalk snowplow Wednesday night.

Mark McKenna, 53, of Rumford, was operating a specialized sidewalk plow to sand sidewalks on Rumford Avenue just outside the Rumford Public Library parking lot, Mexico police officer Joshua Aylward said.

Rumford police officer Lawrence Winson said McKenna was just finishing up for the night when the accident occurred.

Witness Bill Kane, who lives across the street, said he was going outside to walk his dog when he saw the plow start to slide around the corner.

“As soon as the wheels went off, that was it,” Kane said. “He started going, and there was no stopping him.”

Kane said the plow rolled onto its side in the street and he rushed to help McKenna up.

“I was gonna try to get him out of there, but I had a hell of a time getting the window open,” Kane said.

He said he believed McKenna had hit his head on the window when the plow rolled off the sidewalk.

“By the time we got him out of there, he was pretty much almost passed out and he didn’t look good,” Kane said. “It kind of scared me because he seemed fine when I first got over there.”

McKenna was taken by a Med-Care Ambulance to Rumford Hospital. By 9:30 p.m., he was still being evaluated in the emergency room, Aylward said.

Rumford Public Works Superintendent Andy Russell said he believed the snowplow received only cosmetic damage during the fall from the sidewalk.

Russell and crew used a bucket loader and a chain to turn the snowplow upright.

According to Rumford town policy, Winson said, Mexico police was required to investigate the accident because a town vehicle was involved.

ecox@sunjournal.com

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