September 20, 2024
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Forensics awaited in fatal collision Log truck mishap killed DOT driver

KOSSUTH TOWNSHIP – State police are awaiting the completion of forensic work before announcing the results of their investigation into a Route 6 collision last month in which one man was killed and two others injured.

Jarrod Damon, 35, of Grand Lake Stream died on Sept. 24 of severe injuries suffered when the Maine Department of Transportation dump truck he was driving collided with a fully loaded logging truck that day.

Another DOT employee, Gregory Scott, 43, of Danforth, was taken by ambulance to Penobscot Valley Hospital in Lincoln and released after being treated, a hospital spokeswoman said.

The logging truck’s driver, Kenneth G. Slauenwhite, 56, of Island Falls, told investigators he was heading east toward Calais when he lost control of his rig while negotiating a sharp curve at about 9:10 a.m. The tractor’s trailer tipped over, crossed the westbound lane and hit the DOT truck head-on, state police said.

Slauenwhite suffered minor injuries and was treated at PVHS and released, a spokeswoman said.

Investigators are awaiting vehicle speed estimates from an accident reconstructionist and the results of computerized mapping of the accident, Trooper Barry Meserve said last week.

That information likely will conclude the investigation, he said.

The flatbed of the logging truck and the tree-size logs were spread across both lanes of Route 6, which was shut down for several hours for at least five miles in both directions of the accident scene.

The cab of the dump truck was heavily damaged and came to rest against a utility pole that was cracked and nearly broken in two. Logs were scattered around and atop it. Skid marks longer than 30 feet were visible on the road.

Correction: This article appeared on page B3 in the State edition.

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