I-95 accident claims life of Bay State man

LINCOLN – A Massachusetts man was killed and two local men were taken to the hospital with unknown injuries in an accident Sunday afternoon on Interstate 95 southbound near mile marker 235.

Police had received reports of a 1992 Toyota Tercel, driven by Thomas Burns, 40, of North Andover, Mass., speeding and operating erratically on I-95 at about 2:30 p.m. Sunday.

East Millinocket police attempted to intercept the vehicle at the Medway exit, but by the time they were in position Burns already had passed them and gone off the road, Trooper David Millett Jr. said Sunday.

Burns rear-ended a Ford Ranger pickup truck in the driving lane, causing him to lose control of his car between exits 56 and 55, according to witness reports.

“It pushed both of the seats back in the [truck], so there was quite a bit of impact there,” Millett said.

After skidding into the passing lane, down an embankment and into the median, the car rolled onto its roof.

Burns was taken to Penobscot Valley Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival, Millett said.

The driver of the pickup, Joshua O’Clair, 18, of Fort Kent Mills and an unknown passenger were transported to a local hospital.

East Millinocket police and ambulance service and Maine State Police responded to the accident.

“We’re not sure at this point if there was any alcohol involved or not,” Millett said. Burns had a history of diabetes, but police were unsure if this condition was a factor in the accident.

State police were still reconstructing the accident at 5:30 p.m. Sunday. The incident is still under investigation.