HAMLIN, Maine — A Van Buren couple was seriously injured when their vehicle collided head on with a tractor trailer in whiteout conditions on U.S. Route 1 Monday morning. The couple’s 2-year-old son was uninjured, according to police.
Michel Gauvreau, 35, of Grand Falls, New Brunswick, was northbound in a 2011 Freightliner tractor trailer when he collided head on at 8:20 a.m. with a southbound 2008 Ford Fusion operated by Josh Bresett, 38, of Van Buren, according to Maine State Police Sgt. Brian Harris.
The empty log truck drove over the front of the car with the sedan coming to rest under the trailer, Harris said.
Bresett had to be extricated from the wreckage before being transported to Cary Medical Center in Caribou for treatment of serious injuries, the sergeant reported. Bressett later was transferred to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor.
Bresett’s wife Heather, whose age was not given, also taken to Cary Medical Center for treatment of serious injuries, Harris said. He added the infant son was uninjured.
Gauvreau also was not injured in the crash.
Harris said zero visibility with blowing and drifting snow were significant factors.
The truck is owned by D.H Giberson and Sons of Arthurette, New Brunswick.
The route was closed down for about three hours while the accident was investigated and the vehicles were removed. The Freightliner sustained damage to the front of the truck, while the Fusion was totaled, according to Harris.
Trooper Adam Stoutamyer was assisted at the scene by Troopers Andrew Levesque and Robert Flynn.