Speed a factor in Baldacci crash Police report: SUV was traveling too fast for road conditions

AUGUSTA – The collision of a car and a state sport utility vehicle carrying Gov. John Baldacci was attributed to the speed of the SUV, which was estimated at between 55 and 65 mph, according to a report released Friday.

State police investigators said the estimated speed of the SUV, driven by a state police detective on the governor’s security detail, was “excessive for existing conditions” along an icy and salted stretch of Interstate 295 in Bowdoinham.

The accident occurred shortly after 6 a.m. Wednesday as Baldacci was being driven from the state capital, where he resides, to a Chamber of Commerce breakfast in Portland, according to his office.

An overnight storm left roadways covered with black ice, according to the report.

Both Baldacci and Detective James Trask, a veteran member of the executive protection unit, were treated at and released from Maine Medical Center in Portland on Wednesday. Baldacci, whose injuries were said to include a broken rib, returned to work at the State House on Thursday.

The driver of the second vehicle, Timothy Putnam of Richmond, was not reported to have serious injuries. Baldacci said around midday Friday he had spoken to Putnam earlier in the day.

Praising Trask’s response to the crash, Baldacci said Thursday that “accidents happen” and that Trask “deserves commendation.”

According to the investigative report, both vehicles involved in the crash were traveling south. Putnam, driving a 2003 Toyota Camry, was in the passing lane when he noticed the 2004 Chevrolet Suburban LT, driven by Trask with Baldacci as a passenger, overtaking him and pulled over to the driving lane.

As the Chevrolet passed, it struck Putnam’s vehicle, according to the report.

The Chevrolet left the roadway, entered a ditch, spun and rolled onto its driver’s side while striking several small trees. The Toyota went off into the median, where it came to rest with “damage consistent with a sideswipe from the Chevrolet,” according to the report.

Post-impact distances were measured at 92 feet for the Toyota and 204 feet for the Chevrolet.

Trask was on sick leave, resting at home, Maine Public Safety Department spokesman Stephen McCausland said Friday.

McCausland said crashes involving state police are routinely subject to departmental review but that he was unaware of when one would be conducted.