Two hurt when car hits utility pole in Auburn

Emergency workers attend to a one-car crash Thursday afternoon on Lewiston Junction Road in Auburn. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

AUBURN — Two men were hurt during the snowstorm Thursday afternoon when their car slid into a utility pole on Lewiston Junction Road.

The 4 p.m. crash near Kittyhawk Avenue brought down wires and left one person briefly trapped inside the mangled Toyota Corolla, which came to rest in a ditch.

Police said 19-year-old Benjamin Trefethen of Portland had been driving eastbound on Lewiston Junction Road when he lost control of the vehicle in snow and slush. He and a passenger, John Fossett, 23, were taken by ambulance to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston. Their injuries were not considered life-threatening.

Police closed a section of Lewiston Junction Road as rescue crews responded and a public works crew was sent to clean the roads. When the car crashed, the roadway was slushy and slick after hours of snowfall.

Technicians from Central Maine Power Co. were also sent to the area to repair damage to the pole and wires. The crash was one of several across the area as the latest winter storm left roads treacherous.

Auburn police were investigating the wreck later Thursday afternoon.