A thick cloud of dust kicked up by a tractor-trailer is believed to have been a factor in a rear-end crash on Interstate 95, Friday morning.
At about 10:23 a.m. a tractor-trailer headed south in the passing lane crossed over the yellow line kicking up “a significant amount of dust and creating blinding conditions,” Maine Department of Public Safety spokesperson Shannon Moss said.
In response, the driver of a vehicle behind the truck came to a full stop in the roadway. A second following car also stopped but was rear-ended by a third vehicle, Moss said.
One of the drivers described the dust as smoke because of its thickness and initially thought the tractor-trailer had driven off the road, Moss said.
The driver of the third vehicle who crashed into the rear of one of the stopped vehicles was taken to a hospital with a leg injury. No other injuries were reported.
The crash, which happened south of Exit 183, stopped traffic in the southbound lanes of the interstate for a short time but was quickly cleared, Moss said.