Police have charged a Windham man with operating under the influence in connection with a two-car accident on Cumberland Street Tuesday.
The Westbrook police charged Peter J. Tanguay, 34, of Southside Drive in Windham, after the vehicle he was driving narrowly missed colliding head-on with a Honda minivan being driven by Celeste Bard, 43, of Prospect Street, Portland.
Police said Tanguay was traveling west on Cumberland Street in a four-door Nissan sedan at about 9:15 a.m. when his vehicle drifted into the eastbound lane into the path of Bard’s van. In an attempt to avoid a head-on collision, police said Bard, who had a 6-year-old girl in the car with her at the time, swerved out of her lane into the westbound lane.
While Bard’s move prevented a head-on collision, police said Tanguay’s car struck the side of Bard’s van. After hitting the van, Tanguay’s car slid sideways and went off the road, striking a guardrail and knocking down a road sign.
Police said no one was injured in the accident and no other cars were involved. After an investigation at the scene of the accident, police brought Tanguay to the Public Safety Building to be tested to determine if he was driving under the influence. After completing the tests, police said Tanguay was charged and subsequently released with a summons for operating under the influence.
The accident caused a minor traffic tie-up on Cumberland Street as crews responded to the scene. Police blocked off the road approximately a quarter of a mile up the road from the accident for about 30 minutes after the accident in an effort to keep traffic from driving through.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
