AUBURN, Maine — A local man walked away from his crushed, overturned pickup truck Tuesday night after a tow truck struck it broadside, flipped it and landed on top of it.
Lt. Anthony Harrington said the crash occurred at 5:29 p.m. on the southbound side of Washington Street.
Harrington said 27-year-old William Cloutier escaped with minor cuts and scrapes after the 1999 Ford Ranger he was driving was T-boned by an ACE Towing truck driven by Justin Bubier, 30, of Poland. The pickup flipped on its top and the flatbed tow truck landed on top of it.
According to Harrington, Cloutier was pulling out of the parking lot of Ness Oil Co. at 249 Washington St., into the path of the ACE truck, headquartered at 712 Washington St.
Harrington said Cloutier told investigators he attempted to slow down when he realized Bubier was traveling in the inner southbound lane, but said his brakes were “spongy” and he was unable to stop.
Cloutier told police he then tried to speed up to avoid the oncoming truck, but was hit broadside. The impact pushed the pickup into the soft shoulder, causing it to overturn and land beneath the tow truck.
Bubier was not injured in the crash.
Miracles do happen.
This foto of a horrific scene doesnt lie.
And the pickup driver with”spongy brakes” walked away from it all.
Albeit missing a shoe.
Thanksgiving will seem extra special this year.
Brake fade. Stop riding that brake pedal. If you had tested for air brake endorsement you would have had a better understanding. Otherwise as a commercial operator you should be planning for a “safe way out”. Leave the bad driving habits of Massachussetts to down there. Here in Maine there is no reason to drive a heavy vehicle like a small car. We are supposed to be aware and better trained.
?????
Rangers don’t have air brakes.
True, bad on my part. Thankyou for the correction.
Downeasta, Please reread the article again. It says the driver of the RANGER caused the accident by pulling out in front of the tow truck. The tow truck driver was NOT at fault and did not have enough time to stop. It had nothing to do with air brakes. Just so you are aware, 34 tow truck operators have been killed in the line of duty due to other motorists negligence. We are just lucky that the tow operator was not injured or killed, nor the driver who pulled out in front of him. I am the owner and operator of a towing company, people need to pay more attention when they are operating a motor vehicle!
Regardless of whom did what. A commercial vehicle the driver becomes automatically at fault in the United States as we have been trained more than the regular driver. If you truly plan for the bad driving of 4 wheelers, and expect every one to be unable to practice safe driving. It is far more unlikely this crash would not have happened if the tow truck driver had a “safety out”.
Accuse me of not reading the article is one thing. Yet you know nothing of driving a vehicle until you get a commercial license. 4 wheelers really are blind about how bad their driving is. Alas with a commercial license, we are more likely to get a ticket over a warning because of not only our training. Yet also of the dislike that the 4 wheelers put on any commercial truck as bad.
Wow! In looking at the photo, I truly believe that when it is your time to go, you will go, and when it’s not your time to go, it doesn’t matter what you get into, you will not go. Amazing that he escaped with minor injuries!
Boy, this guy used up all of his nine lives…………………………
If you are going to pull out in front of on coming traffic make sure you have the HORSEPOWER to do it !! Thats one LUCKY guy……….
WOW!
how about some more facts..was he wearing a seatbelt? was he thrown clear? was he trapped inside and had to be helped out?