Quebec man pinned under truck faces charges

MONSON – A Quebec man was charged Tuesday with driving to endanger after he lost control of his loaded wood-chip truck at a dangerous curve on Route 15 and it rolled onto its side, pinning his arm underneath the cab.

Firefighters had to use an extrication tool to release Alain Boucher’s arm and hand after it became lodged between the truck and the pavement, according to Allen Emerson, a Piscataquis County Sheriff’s Department investigator. The accident took place at about 6:18 a.m.

Boucher, 49, of St. George, Quebec, was taken by ambulance to Mayo Regional Hospital in Dover-Foxcroft and was transferred to Eastern Maine Medical Center. A hospital spokeswoman reported that Boucher was being evaluated Tuesday afternoon.

The tractor-trailer operated by Boucher was registered to R.B.L. Inc. of Saint Prosper, Quebec. Boucher, who spoke French, told police through an interpreter, that when his southbound trailer got caught on the shoulder of the road, he tried to correct it and lost control of the vehicle.

Speed was a factor in the accident and was the reason he was charged with driving to endanger, Emerson said.

The Maine State Police traffic division also charged Boucher with a log violation. Emerson said the driver’s log book had not been filled out Tuesday.

Boucher’s initial court appearances on the charges will be June 28 and Aug. 2.

Traffic was delayed on the road until 11:30 a.m., Emerson said. He said the Department of Environmental Protection was summoned to the scene because of a large fuel leak.

Assisting police at the accident scene were Monson and Greenville firefighters and Monson and Greenville public works employees. Emerson said Moosehead Rental of Greenville provided a bucket loader at the scene to scoop up the chips, which were taken to the Greenville Steam Plant.