5 vehicles collide on I-95 in Benton> Fairfield ambulance crew escapes injury

BENTON — Two people were injured Wednesday when five vehicles, including an ambulance, collided on Interstate 95, authorities said.

The accident happened about 4:30 p.m. in the icy southbound lanes and involved two sport utility vehicles, a van, a pickup truck and a Delta ambulance, according to rescue workers who had been at the scene. The ambulance, which skidded off the road after being struck by the pickup truck, was responding to another accident at the time. No one in the ambulance was injured.

A rescue crew from Fairfield extricated a driver from his Nissan Pathfinder after it left the road and rolled onto the passenger’s side. The driver, whose name was not available, was taken by Clinton ambulance to MaineGeneral Medical Center in Waterville, the rescue workers said.

Another person involved in the accident was taken to the hospital by private vehicle, they said.

The accident forced authorities to close part of the highway for several minutes until wreckers could remove the damaged vehicles.

“Traffic was blocked for quite a ways,” said Fairfield fire Lt. Dwayne Bickford. “Both lanes were pretty plugged up.”

Icy roads also led to several other accidents between Clinton and Sidney.

“There were multiple vehicles off the interstate,” said Clinton Fire Chief Gary Petley.

Calls to the Maine State Police seeking more information about weather-related accidents were not immediately returned.