Two men injured in Caribou when car flips, bursts into flames

CARIBOU – Two Caribou men were injured, one seriously, in a single-car crash Friday night that caused the car they were in to burst into flames.

Boyd Chase, 33, was taken to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor during the night after being stabilized at Cary Medical Center in Caribou. He reportedly had serious head trauma.

Nursing Supervisor Roberta Poulan said Sunday morning that Chase was in serious condition at EMMC.

Gary Little, 26, remained at the Caribou hospital Sunday where he was being treated for facial fractures. According to the nursing supervisor at the hospital, Little was released after treatment, sometime before Sunday morning.

According to Officer Berry Dombrowski of the Caribou Police Department, the two were injured in an accident just before 9:30 p.m. while they were traveling east on the Albair Road in Caribou. The Albair Road is located off Route 89, west of the city.

“They were traveling at a high rate of speed and failed to negotiate a curve,” Dombrowski said Saturday.

The 1995 sedan went off the road, struck a tree and flipped over. The gasoline tank of the car ruptured and the car burst into flames.

Both men were ejected from the vehicle. Police did not know Saturday who was operating the vehicle. It was not known whether the men were wearing seat belts.

Dombrowski said the Maine State Police would be reconstructing the accident.