Monday’s snow made driving dangerous.
By Mark LaFlamme
Staff Writer

TURNER – Slushy roads were blamed for the death of a New Gloucester woman killed Monday morning when her car slid into oncoming traffic on Route 4.

Police said 46-year-old Anna Lacadie was killed on impact when her Toyota Corolla slid across the center line and skidded sideways into a second car.

The second driver, 48-year-old Bruce Gallup of Turner, was not hurt in the wreck.

The 7 a.m. crash occurred near the intersection at Route 117. Traffic was rerouted around the scene for three hours as medics responded and State Police began their investigation.

Police said the roadway was covered with slush at the time of the crash, following an early morning storm that dumped an inch or more of wet snow.

State Police Trooper Ricci Cote was following up the investigation.

The fast, messy storm resulted in dozens of wrecks across the region as roads became covered with ice and slush before crews could get out to sand.

State police and county sheriff’s officials responded to wrecks, cars off roads and other weather-related mishaps on major throughways, back roads and highways.

In the Twin Cities, dozens of cars and trucks crashed during the morning commute, sending police scrambling from scene to scene.

“There were a bunch of them and they were everywhere,” said Lewiston police Sgt. James Rioux. “They were mostly minor fender benders.”

Rioux himself had to report a few minor crashes he witnessed on his drive to work Monday morning. Sabattus Street was a particular trouble zone when the roadway became slicked with ice during the morning commute, police said.

Most of the wrecks resulted in such minor damage, they did not require accident reports. Mailboxes, trees and poles were frequent victims of cars and trucks sliding out of control.

Across the bridge in Auburn, police shifted manpower so more officers could be on the streets responding to crashes. A detective answered telephones while a lieutenant went out to assist with patrol duties.

At 7:40 a.m., a car driven by 16-year-old Rachel Nadeau, of Auburn, skidded out of control on Maple Hill Road and struck a Central Maine Power Co. utility pole. Nadeau was not hurt but the Toyota sustained $5,000 in damages and the pole $1,000.

Nearly two hours and many wrecks later, 35-year-old Jacqueline Calhoun, of Lewiston, lost control of her vehicle on Mill Street and slammed into a tree. Calhoun was examined for bumps and bruises. Damage to the 2004 Toyota, owned by Leslie Toothaker, was estimated at $15,000.

Police said by 10 a.m. the snow had tapered off, most roadways had been cleared and the number of car wrecks declined dramatically.

mlaflamme@sunjournal.com

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