MECHANIC FALLS, Maine — A local man suffered minor injuries Thursday in a three-vehicle accident that tied up traffic on Route 121 for several hours, according to police.
The crash, involving a tractor-trailer, pickup truck and a hauling truck, was reported shortly after 2 p.m. near the New England Public Warehouse, Mechanic Falls police Chief Jeff Goss said.
The tractor-trailer, operated by Ravi Kumar, 33, of Iowa, had stopped to make a left turn into the warehouse driveway. Edward Kenney, 59, and his wife, Nancy, of Monmouth had stopped behind Kumar’s rig waiting for him to turn when a camper the Kenney’s were hauling was hit by Anthony Keach of Mechanic Falls, according to Goss.
Nancy Kenney and Keach’s ages were not available.
The impact caused the Kenneys’ camper and pickup to jackknife, with the camper striking the front end of the pickup and subsequently the rear of the tractor-trailer, Goss said.
The chief added the camper, being attached to the back of the Kenneys’ pickup, likely saved their lives, as the pickup’s front end likely would’ve slammed into the rear of the tractor-trailer had the camper not been attached, he said.
The crash caused major traffic hiccups. The road was closed until about 6:30 p.m. while Mechanic Falls police, a state police commercial vehicle unit, the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office and fire departments from Mechanic Falls, Auburn, Minot and Poland worked at the scene.
Keach was brought to an area hospital for minor injuries, Goss said. The pickup, camper and hauling truck were demolished.
