MADISON – Two separate accidents were investigated by police in central Maine Thursday afternoon, including one involving a police cruiser.

Brandon Hagopian, 22, of Madison was traveling west on Park Street when he lost control of his vehicle in the slush. His 1994 Pontiac Sunbird slid to the opposite side of the road into the path of Madison police Officer Keith Bigger, 36. Bigger was driving the town’s 2000 Ford Crown Victoria cruiser. The vehicles struck head-on, according to Trooper Joseph Parker, who investigated.

Speed was not a contributing factor in the accident, the trooper said.

Hagopian was thrown from the vehicle. He suffered cuts and lacerations to the face, broken bones in the face and a broken rib, Parker said. He was not wearing a seat belt.

Bigger was wearing a seat belt and the vehicle’s air bag deployed, Parker said. Both vehicles were extensively damaged.

Both men were taken to Redington-Fairview General Hospital in Skowhegan. Bigger was treated and released. Hagopian was hospitalized for his injuries.

In St. Albans, Luther McDougal, 68, of Hartland said he was blinded by the sun Thursday afternoon when his 1987 Ford pickup rear-ended a 1987 Volkswagen Fox driven by Lisa Davis, 40, of Cambridge, according to Somerset County Deputy Michael Knight.

Davis was headed south on Route 152 in St. Albans, preparing to turn left onto Indian Pond Lane, when McDougal’s truck struck her vehicle from behind.

Both drivers were wearing seat belts. McDougal was not injured. Davis was taken to Sebasticook Valley Hospital in Pittsfield for treatment of minor injuries.

The Volkswagen was a total loss, Knight said, and McDougal’s truck sustained minor damage.

McDougal was charged with driving an uninspected vehicle. There were no other charges connected to the collision, Knight said. The accident remains under investigation.