One dead, one hurt in Brewer crash

BREWER – One man was killed and another critically injured Thursday night when the vehicle in which they were riding swerved off Interstate 395 and rolled over several times before coming to rest along a line of trees, according to police.

Dennis Ireland of Clifton, believed to be about 34, was dead at the scene. Wayne Haskell of Brewer, also about 34, was taken to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor where he was in critical condition, said Sgt. Bill Birch of the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Department.

The accident occurred about 10:30 p.m. in the eastbound lane of I-395 about a half mile from the juncture with Route 1A. Both men were ejected from the Chevrolet pickup truck, which came to rest about 100 feet from the road.

Penobscot County sheriff’s deputies went to the scene. State police were planning to reconstruct the accident. Holden police helped direct traffic, which was reduced to one lane.

Witnesses in another car told police that the pickup truck had been passing vehicles in the breakdown lane.

Two motorists who did not want to be identified said the pickup tried to pass them in the passing lane, then moved back behind them and went off the road, taking out a long section of the guardrail. The pickup truck rolled over six or seven times, they said.

They were among the first to reach the two men in the pickup truck and said one man was dead and the other bleeding, but still alive.

The Brewer Fire Department also went to the accident, using a tower light to illuminate the scene. A trail of debris that included a tire, a floor mat, a red baseball cap and a potato chip bag led to the overturned vehicle in the line of trees.