The driver of an SUV that had stopped in the breakdown lane of an exit off Interstate 95 in Orono escaped with minor injuries after a dump truck carrying a load of reclaimed asphalt slammed into the left rear of the vehicle Wednesday morning.

The dump truck owned by Wayne’s Landscaping and Excavation rammed the back of the woman’s SUV around 8:30 a.m., Maine State Police said on the department’s Facebook page.

The woman, whose name was not released, had pulled off into the breakdown lane of Exit 191, which connects to the southbound lane of Interstate 95 in Orono. The collision caused heavy damage to the SUV’s left rear and forced police to close the exit while crews unloaded the asphalt.

“The female occupant was transported with minor injuries,” state police said.

State police said the dump truck kept going for a short distance before coming to rest against a guardrail, a barrier state police said was the only thing keeping the truck upright. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

Dennis Hoey can be contacted at 791-6365 or at:

dhoey@pressherald.com

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