Jeffrey Feines, 65, of Rangeley was injured Tuesday when he lost control of the SUV he was driving on Dallas Hill Road in Dallas Plantation. His vehicle slid off the icy surface and into a pole, knocking down power lines and cutting electricity to people in the area. Rangeley Fire Rescue photo
DALLAS PLANTATION — A Rangeley man was injured Tuesday when the SUV he was driving on Dallas Hill Road slid off the road into a utility pole that brought down power lines, according to Sheriff Scott Nichols Sr.
Power was knocked out as frigid temperatures gripped the area.
Jeffrey Feines, 65, of Rangeley was driving a 2002 Ford Excursion west when he lost control of the vehicle on the slippery surface, Nichols wrote in an email. He received minor injuries.
Saddleback Maine shut down its lift services because of the power lines being down and the road closed. The ski resort planned to keep the lodge open until the road was reopened, according to its Facebook page. The access road to the ski resort in Sandy River Plantation is off Dallas Hill Road.
The crash happened at just before 10 a.m. near the Dallas Plantation Town Office. The road was still closed at about 1 p.m., Rangeley Fire Rescue Chief Michael Bacon said.
The Rangeley department and Rangeley police Chief Russell French responded to assist Deputy Tyler Gray with the crash, Nichols wrote.
When Bacon arrived on scene, he said, it was minus 18 degrees out, not factoring in windchill. At 1 p.m. it was slightly warmer at minus 9 degrees, he said.
The roads are extremely icy up here, he said. Even though sand was put down on the road, it kept blowing off it, he said.
There was no emergency access up to Saddleback, Bacon said at 1 p.m.
At about 1:30 p.m. there were still 466 Central Maine Power customers in Dallas Plantation (317), Sandy River Plantation (140) and Rangeley (9) without power. All power to the area had been restored by 6 p.m.
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
