BETHEL — Safety belts and air bags were credited with preventing tragedy Friday afternoon in a three-car accident on Route 26 that sent two people to the hospital.

Oxford County Deputy Sheriff Nate Bowie said late Saturday evening that James Bebko, 73, of Bethel, and Celia Broomhall, 59, of Gilead, were taken by Bethel Rescue ambulance to Stephens Memorial Hospital in Norway after the 4 p.m. incident.

Bowie said Broomhall suffered chest and leg injuries, while Bebko suffered back injuries. A black Labrador retriever in Bebko’s car suffered right leg injuries and was taken to the Bethel Animal Hospital, Bowie said.

He said Bebko was driving a 2009 Subaru Forester on Route 26 when he slowed to turn onto Taylor Smith Road. He turned into the path of Broomhall’s 2003 Subaru Legacy and the vehicles collided nearly head-on, according to witnesses interviewed at the scene.

The impact sent Broomhall’s car into a 1997 Jeep Wrangler driven by Joel Roberts, 40, of West Paris, Bowie said.

“If not for the air bags and the operators being belted, it could have been a tragedy, for sure,” Bowie said. “There was extensive damage.”

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Another factor that saved Broomhall was a Subaru safety feature that prevents the engine from being shoved into the driver’s seat in violent head-on collisions, Bowie said.

He said the engine is designed to drop and slide under the car rather than into the passenger compartment in collisions.

Route 26 was shut down, backing up traffic substantially, he said. Additionally, Broomhall’s Subaru was smoking and there was a lot of debris in the road, and fluids leaking from two vehicles.

Bowie praised Bethel firefighters for their quick response and assistance in opening a single lane to disperse traffic.

The accident happened near Gaudreau’s Repairs, which towed all three vehicles.

tkarkos@sunjournal.com


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