WARREN — A truck heading east on Route 90 veered into the trees and landed on its side just before a construction site where the Maine Dept. of Transportation is repairing a bridge over the St. George River.

The truck was eastbound, just prior to 9 a.m., Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. The driver and owner of Randy Martin Forest Products said he was coming past Lincoln Country Store when he realized that his brakes had failed. Martin was on the job at the time and driving to Camden. Prior to today, the truck had not been used for a couple of months.

Route 90 is currently a one-lane road due to construction. As Martin was coasting down the hill, a camper was on the approach heading westbound. Wanting to avoid injury to others, he intentionally aimed for the guardrail on the opposite side of the highway to slow the truck down. The guardrail itself was not enough to stop the truck, and the vehicle continued into the ditch. A DOT worker happened to be leaning on the guardrail while on break, but when he saw the truck turning in his direction as it neared the temporary traffic lights, he jumped out of the way.

Martin was able to exit the truck cab on the passenger side. He was uninjured.

Traffic continued past the crash zone while emergency crews waited for an excavator to arrive and help stabilize and remove the truck.

Warren Fire Dept. and Knox County Sheriff’s Office received their initial notifications of the crash at 8:55 a.m. The FD returned to their station at 1:45 p.m.

Because a commercial vehicle was involved, the State Police were called to investigate the crash. 

Reach Sarah Thompson at news@penbaypilot.com