Maine: Tow truck handling Enfield collision struck by Jeep

Emergency service workers handling a two-vehicle collision allegedly caused by a drunk driver Saturday night were fortunate to avoid being injured by another driver in a second crash at the same location, officials said Monday.

Brody Clay, 21, of Howland was issued a summons early Sunday for operating a motor vehicle under the influence and failure to stop at a stop sign, state police said.

A test revealed that Clay had a blood alcohol content of 0.17, more than twice the legal limit of 0.08 for operating a vehicle, when his pickup truck collided with another pickup about 11:30 p.m. at the intersection of Old County Road and Bridge Street, said Trooper Benjamin Campbell.

At least 10 firefighters, EMTs, police, wrecker operators and bystanders were in or near the intersection dealing with the accident about 45 minutes later when a Jeep slammed head-on into a flatbed wrecker maneuvering to remove one of the wrecked pickups, Lowell Fire Chief Rick Smart said.

“It was like deja vu,” Campbell said Monday of the second crash.

The driver of the Jeep, 36-year-old Daniel Drinkwater of Medford, ran through a stop sign before the second crash, according to police. Had the wrecker not been there, or had Drinkwater avoided it, he could have hit several other vehicles including the one driven by Campbell, who was in his cruiser, Smart said.

“It could have been a lot worse. We could have had serious injuries there,” Smart said.

The driver of the I-95 Towing Service wrecker, Delbert Spencer of Passadumkeag, was shaken up. Workers at the towing service referred comment to Spencer, who did not immediately return telephone messages seeking comment Monday.

Clay, Drinkwater, Spencer and a woman who was with Drinkwater suffered minor injuries in the two accidents, Campbell said. The woman’s name was not immediately available on Monday. Four vehicles were destroyed.

Drinkwater may face charges pending the results of the investigation, according to Campbell.

Clay is due in Lincoln District Court on April 5.

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