Driver injured as truck demolishes Saab abandoned on I-95 in Palmyra

PALMYRA – A 1993 Saab parked along Interstate 95 was demolished early Friday morning when it was struck from behind by a truck that drifted off the road.

The Saab, owned by Hayley Camber, 17, of Ellsworth, had been parked on the side of the Interstate earlier Thursday evening and the operator had gotten a ride from the scene, Maine State Police Trooper Jeffrey Beach said.

At about 3:10 a.m., a box truck owned by Krisway Truck Leasings and operated by Terry Smith, 52, of Troy drifted off the right side of the road and crashed into the disabled car.

“It was absolutely demolished,” Beach said. “The rear bumper of the Saab ended up on its dashboard.”

The truck drove up and over the car, ripping off the truck’s wheel and axle, Beach said. The car also was pushed down the shoulder.

Since those emergency personnel first responding to the accident couldn’t find the car’s operator, the Pittsfield Fire Department brought its thermal imaging camera to the scene.

“The car’s engine was cold, and there was no key in it, but we couldn’t take any chances,” Beach said. The surrounding shoulder, woods and median were searched for the driver.

Meanwhile, state police contacted the Ellsworth Police Department, which sent an officer to the Camber home and determined no one had been in the car.

Beach said no charges will be filed.

Smith was treated at the scene for bumps and bruises, he added.