BANGOR, Maine — No injuries were reported Friday in a crash that sent a pickup truck careening down an icy driveway and into two buildings, according to officials.
A man pulled out of a parking space and onto State Street, but he apparently did not see an oncoming sport utility vehicle and was struck broadside, according to Bangor Assistant Fire Chief Dennis Nadeau.
The impact sent the pickup down another driveway, and the front end of the pickup struck an apartment building and pinballed the rear of the truck into a stairwell of the Legacy Sandwich Shop, Nadeau explained.
The crash was reported around 11:30 a.m., right as the popular sandwich shop was filled with customers.
“We had a full Friday, customers coming in and out, people on their lunch breaks,” shop owner Bruce Guimond said.
Despite Guimond’s efforts to salt and sand the sidewalks in front of the buildings on a day when freezing rain was falling in the area, the sidewalks remained icy.
Nadeau said damage to the sandwich shop was minimal and limited to a fire escape stairway and handrail. The foundation of the apartment building next door was significantly damaged, but no gas lines were broken and no evacuations were needed out of either building.
Lewis Carron of Bangor, who was driving the pickup truck, said he “couldn’t see too good” as he was pulling onto State Street.
“As soon as I got out there, I got hit,” Carron said.
The driver of the SUV was not identified.
Guimond said all of his customers and staff were OK, and said people inside the shop heard a loud bang and immediately turned their thoughts to the drivers.
“It was really nice to see all the customers concerned if other people were injured,” Guimond said.
State Street was briefly closed to traffic in the area around the scene while officials towed away the damaged vehicles.
