Multiple vehicles were involved in separate crashes on I-295 in Portland Wednesday morning, officials said.
The first crash, around 7:40 a.m., occurred in the southbound lane around Exit 6B and caused the traffic to back up into Falmouth, Shannon Moss, spokesperson for the Maine Department of Public Safety, said.
Due to the heavy traffic caused by the initial crash, another crash happened in the southbound lane on Tukey’s Bridge after a 2016 Toyota Rav 4 — driven by Jessica Bryant, 20, of Brunswick — rear-ended a GMC pick-up truck, causing it to be pushed into the breakdown median, Moss said.
Bryant’s Toyota Rav 4 continued to go southbound and struck a Toyota 4 runner which then struck a small Kia sedan. The Toyota 4 runner was then pushed into a Subaru in the other lane, Moss said.
Bryant’s vehicle remained in the passing lane while other vehicles were pushed toward the breakdown lane, she said. Officials later managed to clear the roadway to reduce secondary crashes.
Bryant was taken to the hospital for her injuries and was summonsed for operating a motor vehicle while improperly using a handheld electronic device or mobile telephone, Moss said.