Black ice causes early morning accidents

WALDO COUNTY – Area police departments were beset by a number of early morning accidents caused by black ice. Only minor injuries were reported.

City, state and county police responded to single-car wrecks at various locations between 7 and 8 a.m. Tuesday.

Trooper Perry Hatch said Donna Parks, 36, of Brooks was pinned in her 1999 Chevrolet Blazer for nearly an hour when the vehicle rolled over after hitting a patch of black ice on Route 7 in Brooks at approximately 7 a.m.

Hatch said a hydraulic device was needed to free Parks from the crumpled vehicle and that “all things considered, she was quite lucky.

She had some facial cuts but other than that she was in good shape.”

Hatch said Parks was conscious throughout the ordeal and was joking with emergency personnel as she waited for the Belfast Fire Department to cut her free. He attributed her good fortune to the fact that she was wearing a seat belt.

About a half-hour later, Belfast police responded to accidents on the Poors Mills Road and at City Point. Police Chief Allen Weaver attributed both accidents to driver inattention to road conditions.

Adam Chaples, 19, of Morrill was driving toward Belfast on the Poors Mills Road when his 1983 Ford pickup truck skidded out of control and flipped onto its side. Chaples, who was wearing a seat belt, walked away from the wreck. His truck was demolished.

At the same time, police responded to an accident at City Point near the old ski slope. Janet Anderson, 53, of Belfast was heading out of town toward Swanville when her 1998 Ford pickup truck hit a patch of ice and left the road. Anderson was uninjured, but her vehicle had $3,000 in damage.

“People should be aware of changing road conditions during this time of year,” Weaver said. “Changes in surface temperature create black ice.”

Waldo County Deputy Sheriff Dale Brown covered three black-ice accidents within an hour. Heather Brown, 17, of Waldo lost control of her 1990 Subaru on icy Route 137, coming to rest on a retaining wall by Sanborn Pond.

A 1994 Oldsmobile driven by Michelle Bennett, 29, of Brooks slipped off the road and landed on its side near the old ball field on Route 131. Passers-by had righted the vehicle by the time Deputy Brown arrived.

Tim White, 35, of Waldo lost control of his 1996 Chevrolet Corsica when it hit ice on Route 131 near Waldo Station. White was uninjured but the vehicle was demolished.