Three killed in crash near Canadian border Slick, rain-soaked highway blamed in fatal accident

SANDY BAY TOWNSHIP – Investigators were working to determine the cause of an accident that killed three people and forced the closure of a border crossing to Canada near Jackman for several hours on Friday.

Police said all three passengers died after their car collided with a tractor-trailer on Route 201 just after 1:30 p.m. The car was about six miles south of the Canadian border and heading north.

The truck was heading south on the rain-soaked highway.

Names of the victims were not released pending notification of relatives.

Customs officials closed the border to help divert traffic and allow Maine State Police to secure the accident scene. The road reopened around 8 p.m.

The driver of the truck said the car was spinning out of control and might have been hydroplaning, WABI-TV reported.

He said he tried to avoid the car, but it slid into his path.

The Somerset County Sheriff’s Department spent most of Friday afternoon and night helping to clear the wreckage from the scene.

“There’s truck and car stuff all over the road,” Officer Thomas Sayers with U.S. Customs said Friday evening, describing the accident scene.

Traffic was backed up about a half-mile into Canada, Sayers said.

Patrol officers were walking up and down the line telling drivers about the situation and suggesting alternative routes they could take.