BANGOR, Maine - Five vehicles all heading west on Union Street ended up crashing into one another early Thursday evening in what police describe as a double accordion-style incident.
The first three vehicles had stopped near the junction of Union Street and Cottage Street to allow a pedestrian to cross the roadway at 5:25 p.m. when a fourth car, driven by Adam Eastman, 20, of Exeter, came up from behind and struck the line of cars, Sgt. Bob Bishop said Thursday.
The impact from the fourth car sent the third car into the second car, which hit the first car, creating the “accordion,” he said.
A fifth vehicle, driven by Deborah Brinkworth, 49, of Carmel, then hit Eastman, causing a second accordion-style impact involving all five vehicles.
“Everybody’ s air bag deployed,” Bishop said. “It looks like the biggest problem was driver inattention.”
Officer Eric Tall, who went to the accident scene, described the incident to Bishop as spectacular, with the front end of one vehicle torn apart, and amazing since only minor injuries were reported.
None of the five drivers was taken to the hospital. The pedestrian crossing the street was not injured.
Eastman’ s 2007 Toyota had an estimated $15,000 in damage and Brinkworth’ s 2008 Toyota van had an estimated $20,000 in damage, the police report states. Two of the other vehicles had an estimated $5,000 in damage and the first car in the lineup received approximately $1,000 in damage.
“It resulted in [an estimated] $46,000 in damages” in all, Bishop said. “It’ s another case of people driving too fast and not paying attention.”
No charges are pending.
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