Tractor-trailer in head-on crash on Maine Turnpike

CUMBERLAND – A tractor-trailer truck crossed the median and caused a head-on collision Wednesday morning on the Maine Turnpike, snarling traffic for more than five hours, state public safety officials said.

The truck was traveling north when it sideswiped a van, crashed through the guardrails and collided with a southbound Pontiac Sunfire about 9 a.m., said Stephen McCausland of the Maine Public Safety Department.

Jennifer Galarneau, 30, of Lewiston was pulled from her smashed car and taken to a hospital along with the drivers of the van and the tractor-trailer, McCausland said. None of the injuries were believed to be life-threatening.

The southbound lanes were closed, forcing Maine State Police troopers to divert traffic at the Gray exit. Because of tie-ups in Gray, troopers eventually began diverting southbound traffic onto Interstate 95 in Gardiner.

All southbound lanes were reopened by 2:30 p.m., in time for the evening commute, McCausland said.