Tractor-trailer backs up at York toll plaza, then hits tollbooth on 2nd approach

A tractor-trailer struck a toll booth in the southbound lanes of the York Toll Plaza, where a Maine Turnpike Authority van is seen in this photo. (Gregory Rec/Portland Press Herald)

YORK — No one was injured when a tractor-trailer struck and damaged a tollbooth as it tried to pass through the York Toll Plaza at about 10 a.m. Friday.

Maine State Trooper Jarrett MacKinnon said he watched as the truck driver first entered the wrong toll lane, backed up, turned the rig toward the correct lane, and proceeded to the booth.

The truck was apparently not aligned, and its rear axle caught and damaged the booth, he said.

“It lifted the tollbooth right off the concrete,” MacKinnon said.

Police and rescue units responded to the scene. There was a toll taker in the booth at the time. MacKinnon said the toll taker was shaken up but not injured.

By 11:10 a.m. the Maine Turnpike Authority said there were no delays resulting from the accident.

Around noon, a tow truck prepared to haul off the trailer, which showed damage to its rear axle area. One of its four rear tires was off, and the axle appeared askew.