SUV driver, passenger injured in Houlton rollover

HOULTON – Imprudent speed and driver inattention were cited as contributing factors in an accident Sunday afternoon that sent two people to the hospital.

Houlton police Lt. Daniel Pelletier said Monday that Matthew Thibodeau, 19, of Houlton was headed east on the B Road when he lost control of his 1991 Ford sport utility vehicle.

Pelletier said that Thibodeau came around a corner on the road shortly before the noontime accident and ran off the pavement and onto the shoulder.

The 19-year-old then reportedly overcorrected, which propelled the vehicle back across the road. The SUV ran off the north side of the road, went over an embankment and rolled over twice before coming to rest on its roof.

Thibodeau was accompanied by a 19-year-old male passenger from Monticello, but police are not releasing his name.

It is not yet known how fast Thibodeau was going at the time of the accident. The speed limit on that stretch of road is 35 mph, according to Pelletier.

Houlton Fire and Ambulance personnel went to the scene.

Pelletier said that Thibodeau and his passenger complained of arm and neck pain and sought treatment at Houlton Regional Hospital.

Houlton Officer Charles Wampler went to the scene and was assisted by Officer Daniel Norton.

Thibodeau was issued a citation for imprudent speed. The SUV had approximately $4,000 in damage as a result of the incident, Pelletier said Monday.