Man killed, 2 injured in Clifton collision

CLIFTON — One man was killed and his female passenger severely injured when their pickup collided with a logging truck on Rebel Hill Road on Monday evening.

The driver of an unloaded logging truck was heading west on Rebel Hill Road, part of Route 180, as he approached a pickup driven in the opposite direction by the man who was killed, Penobscot County Chief Deputy Troy Morton said at the scene.

Morton said the driver of the logging truck lost control, locking up his rear brakes and jackknifing. The pickup and logging truck collided head-on, Morton said. The crash was reported around 4:45 p.m.

The logging truck stopped in the road. The pickup came to a rest just off the road, after slamming into a cluster of trees.

The driver of the pickup was pronounced dead at the scene. The female passenger suffered life-threatening injuries, according to Morton.

The driver of the tractor-trailer also was injured, Morton said.

Morton declined to release information about any of the crash victims, as family members had not yet been notified.

The curvy, crowned road was covered with a thin, slick layer of snow and sand left over from Sunday’s storm. Morton said road conditions likely played a role in the crash.

The Maine State Police commercial vehicle enforcement division was on scene Monday night investigating the crash.

Morton said shortly before 7 p.m. that Rebel Hill Road likely would remain closed for at least the next two hours while police investigate and clear up the crash scene.

Emergency crews from Clifton, Dedham, Brewer, Eddington and Holden assisted at the scene.