FREEPORT, Maine — An elderly man who was driving in the wrong lane on Interstate 295 was killed instantly Tuesday evening when the car he was driving struck an oncoming car head-on.
The man’s name, age and hometown were being withheld late Wednesday night, Stephen McCausland, spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety, said in a news release.
The car he hit was driven by a woman who was taken to Maine Medical Center in Portland, where she was undergoing treatment for multiple injuries, none of them believed to be life threatening, he said.
The names of both drivers likely will be released Thursday morning, McCausland said.
According to McCausland, the crash occurred shortly after 7 p.m. in the southbound lane, near the Mallet Drive exit. The southbound lane was closed for almost two hours, backing traffic up into Brunswick. One lane reopened about 9 p.m.
State police received several calls about a car going the wrong way in Freeport just before the crash. Troopers are now attempting to determine where the car got on the interstate, but believe it was in Freeport.
The accident remains under investigation by a team of Maine State Police troopers, McCausland said.
OH, NO! not again.
Please people, try to keep your elderly cracks to a minimum. They are a bit obvious on their own…
Be easy on the elderly, your not so far from being there yourself, don’t blink!
LOL, that’s why I’m in the passenger seat more and more now, hanging on for dear life because of THEIR driving!
Years ago I was confronted with a wrong way driver on I-495 in Massachusetts. It was fairly early in the AM and before the region had built up and before traffic on that highway was heavy, all of which is to say the driver managed to get away with this for a bit.
It was about the scariest thing I’ve ever faced in my driving life. At first I didn’t know whether to go right or left, but finally nailed the brakes and dove off onto the shoulder past the break down lane. I’d recommend the same for anybody else facing a wrong-way interstate car…..get *way* off the road real fast, putting yourself down the shoulder if you have to – even if you’re going to need a tow back onto the road. You just never know with these crazy, and/or disoriented drivers….get FAR out of the way.
You must have been on the road same time as me – I freaked – I’d just passed a convoy of semi’s. Thought I was seeing things at first – pulled over and called emergency – hoping the elderly driver didn’t end up getting wiped out by the convoy before the cops showed up.
not on an interstate, hard to know ,you are not in the right place,getting on hyway.texting? blame not likely for something like this
These poor elderly drivers should not be on the road. My condolences to his family & my wishes for the poor injured other driver to get better soon.
They shouldn’t be. However, like drunk drivers, they don’t recognize themselves. Its very difficult to look in the mirror and say, I’m too old to drive. So sad…unfortunately, all too soon most of us will be faced with it. To say we will be smart enough to recognize ourselves as uncapable? Sure we will; we would all like to say that we could recognize our lack of abilities. Somehow, its always the other guy that can’t drive….
So sad…. Is it time now to pick on elderly drivers? Give teens a break?
When I was in college in a new city I drove the wrong way down a road. Two gorgeous men were waving at me in my new car. I waved back and then two very old people were waving at me too. I said, “gosh, I am popular today!” Then it dawned on me, I am driving the wrong way!!! Even educated people in a strange city can make a mistake, it happens….. Remember these elderly drivers started out with horse and buggies, cut them some slack.
More than likely not any more. My dad died in 2001 at the age of 80. He drove a car, he hated horses and never rode one. The gentleman in this article would likely have been younger than my dad so, I’m thinking horses would be out.
May the injured lady recover soon. May all involved find peace and comfort in the near future.
Whats a horse have to do with anything???
Our daughter was almost hit by this man near Falmouth. Thank God, A car going northbound was flashing their lights and she slowed down.
Our daughter was almost hit by this man . A northbound driver kept flashing their lights and she slowed down before this driver came around a turn. She was able to get out of the way. Thank God.
Thank goodness she escaped injury or worse. These tragedies are so horrible. I have had to help several elderly people turn over their licenses. I have also had to call in drunk drivers who were very close to me. When it comes to saving lives, we all must do our part to make those very unpopular calls. We may be hated in the short, but to think we may have saved a family, is so worth it.
These cases are so sad for everyone. Peace, love and healing to the families, the deceased, and the injured.
It’s unfair to blame his family. The law doesn’t support the family in taking away a license. Taking away a license is a long, drawn out process, and, without a major accident/incident it is unlikely that you will be supported by the licensing system. Anybody who has seen a person guess their way through the eye test knows the standards a pretty low.It is obvious that this elderly man shouldn’t have been behind the wheel, but I suspect that he led an otherwise upstanding life. It’s sad that his legacy is tarnished in this way. I sincerely hope that I have the wherewithal to give up my license when I can no longer drive safely, but that would be unusual. There are 1000’s of elderly drivers on the road that shouldn’t be. It doesn’t mean these people are bad. It simply means that the decline of their abilities is gradual and likely unnoticed and giving up your license basically signals the end in the minds of a lot of elderly. America places so much value and freedom on their vehicles that its no wonder people are reluctant to give it up. My family has had to deal with revoking the license of several of our elderly members, and the process is painful, demeaning, and stressful. I hope that their will be greater safety campaigns in the elderly communities about driving and also supporting laws that require stricter testing and medical screening as well as legislation that helps families stop unsafe members from driving.
It is a very sad situation all around. I was hit by an elderly driver several years ago. I pursued having her re-tested for the driving test and vision test for not just her safety but others as well. She lost her ability to drive. I felt bad that she had no family and could not afford transportation to the doctors. So I drove her there twice a week for almost a year, until she passed away. With out her license and no family she had no way there. Our elderly usually do what they haft to for survival. If more people would volunteer time even one day a month to drive elderly people to appointments, some of this can be avoided.