Slippery road blamed in Willimantic crash

WILLIMANTIC – A Sangerville man was injured early Monday when he lost control of his vehicle on an icy stretch of the River Road and the vehicle flipped over guardrails and into Davis Stream.

Although Kenneth Curtis, 52,was injured in the 4:44 a.m. accident, he climbed out of the vehicle and walked about a mile to a home near the Town Hall where he called police, according to Investigator Guy Dow of the Piscataquis County Sheriff’s Department.

Curtis was taken by ambulance and was admitted to Mayo Regional Hospital. He complained of chest and arm pain, Dow said.

Dow said Curtis was doing his paper route when he lost control of his 2000 Ford Windstar van and it skidded into a cable guardrail and flipped over into the stream. The vehicle landed on its side on ice in the middle of the stream.

Monson firefighters were called to assist at the scene when fluids were discovered leaking out of the vehicle and onto the ice during the salvage operation. The firefighters placed absorbent pads on the ice and snow to sop up the fluids, the officer said. The vehicle was demolished, according to Dow.