As the first significant snowfall of the winter fell in central Maine on Monday, dozens of car crashes happened on local and state roads, but there were no immediate reports of serious injuries.
The Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office seemed to be the busiest agency in the area. Dispatchers from that department said they were constantly taking calls about car crashes, and that calls kept coming in.
Meanwhile, plow trucks headed out in force on local roads and Interstate 95, laying down salt and sand.
According to James Brown, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Gray, the snow is expected to continue until about 8 p.m. He said at times the snowfall may become slightly heavier, but overall expected it to remain light. He said a total between 2-3 inches of snow is expected in the region.
Brown said that while the snow might not present major problems, drivers should “slow down and take it easy” on the roads.
About 10 traffic accidents were reported in Augusta throughout Monday, Sgt. Vicente Morris said at 4:45 p.m. All the accidents involved vehicles that lost control in the snow, but by late afternoon, no one was seriously injured, Morris said, urging some drivers to use greater caution.
“A lot of them are driving too fast, especially with the first snow fall,” he said.
Several other accidents were reported throughout the afternoon in towns including Monmouth, Litchfield, Pittston and Chelsea, according to emergency workers communicating over the police scanner. In several cases, cars rolled over after losing control. At least one driver had to be extricated from a car but not injured, according to the emergency workers.
Waterville Police Sgt. Jason Longley said there hadn’t been any “too, too bad” crashes by early Monday afternoon. He said that earlier in the storm there had been between three and four incidents, which were mild, and there were no injuries. He said Waterville Public Works had been able to put sand and salt on city roads to melt the accumulated snow.
Most other surrounding communities had similar responses to the snow. The Fairfield Police Department reported just one vehicle accident shortly after noon, in which a car ran into the back of a tractor trailer. There were no injuries reported. Officer Casey Dougas said the front of the car sustained minor damage, while the back of the trailer also sustained minor damage.
Fairfield Police later responded to another accident, where a single car rolled over near the Skowhegan line. One person was initially trapped in the car, but was later freed, and there were no injuries reported.
Dispatchers from the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department said they hadn’t received any calls at all regarding snow-related car crashes by noontime. Similarly, dispatchers from the Somerset County Sheriff’s Department said they had received a couple of crash calls, but overall there had been nothing severe reported.
Staff Writer Charlie Eichacker contributed reporting.
Colin Ellis — 861-9253
cellis@centralmaine.com
Twitter: @colinoellis
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