Snow-related crashes include 8-vehicle pileup in Hermon

ORONO – A combination of wintry weather and reckless drivers led to dozens of accidents Friday morning along Interstate 95, according to state police officials.

A van carrying members of the Lyndon State College men’s basketball team home to Vermont rolled over in Carmel at 9:20 a.m., causing minor injuries.

The driver lost control of the van while returning to the travel lane and rolled over into the median, according to Trooper Jason Sattler.

“They hit a rock, hit some trees, then came to rest on the roof, which was crushed,” he said.

Team members suffered minor cuts and bruises in the accident, but no one was taken to the hospital.

Sattler said the team had attempted to head home last night after losing a game to Husson College, but turned back because of the storm. Speed was the main factor in the accident, the trooper said.

Slippery conditions and driver inattention led to a three-car pileup in Hermon that grew into a monster.

Trooper Robert Giles had pulled over in the northbound lane to process the pileup when a car did not stop and plowed into his car. Two more vehicles slid off the road to the right in an effort to avoid the accident.

“The second-to-last vehicle back was a tractor-trailer that jackknifed and ran into the guardrail,” Sattler said.

The driver intentionally ran into the guardrail to slow down and a final car bounced into the rig, the trooper said.

A total of eight vehicles were involved in the pileup.

“There were no injuries, amazingly enough,” Sattler said.