Dedham crash sends 3 to hospital

DEDHAM — A Jeep veered into the path of a tractor-trailer on Route 1A Tuesday evening, sending all three people in the vehicle to the hospital and causing the truck to drive down an embankment and catch fire.

Danielle Wallace, 15, and her parents, Jayne Wallace, 42, and Kevin Wallace, 36, were taken to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor. The extent of their injuries wasn’t known, and late Tuesday night a nursing supervisor at the hospital said they were still being evaluated.

The driver of the tractor-trailer, Birt Murnaghan, 53, of Prince Edward Island suffered a bump on the head and managed to get out of the cab before it caught fire, reported state Trooper Gerald Coleman.

The trooper reported that there was snow on the road and Danielle Wallace lost control of the Jeep as she was heading south, about a mile north of Winkumpaugh Road. The Jeep turned into the northbound lane in front of the tractor-trailer that was hauling potatoes. The truck went down an embankment, while the Jeep spun around and ended up on the opposite side of the road along an embankment.

The accident occurred about 8:30 p.m. and the road had to be shut down for about an hour, the trooper said.

Earlier Tuesday, a four-vehicle accident on Route 1 sent several people to the hospital.

Coleman reported that Eric Perkins, 59, of Hancock was stopped to turn onto Captin Bill Road and was struck from behind by motorist Minnie Perry, 84, of Winter Harbor.

The impact pushed Perkins’ car into the path of an oncoming car, driven by Christy Hodgkins, 20, of Franklin, Coleman said, while Perry’s car continued forward and struck a Dodge truck parked in a lot, with Donald Carter, 65, of Hancock inside.

All but Perkins were taken to Maine Coast Memorial Hospital in Ellsworth. Perkins suffered head injuries and was in serious condition at Eastern Maine Medical Center late Tuesday night.

Perry reported she suffered chest pains, while Hodgkins and her passenger, Lenzie Drake, 20, of Prospect Harbor suffered more serious injuries, the trooper said. Carter appeared to have suffered minor injuries, Coleman reported.