An Owls Head man was one of two people killed in a five-vehicle crash caused by a lumber truck that rolled over Friday afternoon on a curve on Route 17 in Washington.
He was identified Saturday as Paul Fowles, 74. The name of the other person killed, a Chrysler van driver, is being withheld until the badly burned body can be identified by the state medical examiner’s office.
Three others were injured in the crash, which took place shortly before 5 p.m. on Route 17, also known as Augusta Road, near Fitch Road. The crash shut down part of the busy road for hours.
The Knox County Sheriff’s Office said the accident occurred when the flatbed of a 1998 Freightliner loaded with lumber, operated by Randall Weddle, 53, of Greenville, Tennessee, slid into the oncoming lane while the westbound truck rounded a corner just west of Fitch Road. The truck began to roll over onto the left side as it continued around the corner. As it rolled, three of four vehicles heading east were hit by the trailer.
The vehicles included a 2009 Chevrolet Colorado operated by Fowles, which went off the road to the right and rolled down an embankment, and a 2014 Nissan driven by Tracy Cook of 51, of Union, which was struck and went off the road to the right.
The Cook vehicle rolled over and struck a 2015 Kia driven by Tracy Morgan, 33, of Washington.
The Morgan and Cook vehicles both landed in an adjacent field.
A 1998 Chrysler van was also struck by the trailer and load of lumber, pushing the van back into the field ,where it burst into flames.
The Freightliner rolled onto its roof and continued to slide on its roof before going off the left side of the road, coming to rest down an embankment between the road and the field.
Morgan was not hurt. Lowell Babb, 32, of Virginia, a passenger in the Freightliner, Cook and Weddle were taken to area hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries.
Crews were on the scene until 2:30 a.m. Saturday. More crews were expected back later to repair the lines and a utility pole.
The Knox County and Waldo County sheriff’s offices and the Maine State Police are investigating the cause of the crash.
Beth Quimby can be contacted at 791-6363 or at:
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