Scores of accidents reported on slick roads

Snow- and rain-slicked roads made for a busy night for police and towing companies Monday as motorists were reminded, he hard way, about the hazards of the upcoming winter season.

Scores of accidents, many of them motor vehicles that simply had slid off the road, were reported in eastern and central Maine.

In one case, a tow truck hauling a disabled motor vehicle ran off the Douty Hill Road in Sangerville and struck a utility pole, snapping the pole in half. No injuries were reported in that accident, which occurred about 6:30 p.m., although Bangor Hydro-Electric Co. had to shut off power for about a half an hour to allow for the tow truck to be removed and a new utility pole to be put in place, reported Deputy Jaime Kane of the Piscataquis County Sheriff’s Department.

A state police dispatcher in Orono reported that troopers handled a dozen or more accident reports on and off Interstate 95, while Bangor police covered a dozen accidents in about a six-hour period starting at 4 p.m.

Outer Broadway appeared to be a particularly problematic area for motorists, according to Bangor police Sgt. Thomas Reagan. Motorists traveling faster than conditions allowed was a factor in the accidents, Reagan said.