No charges, ID yet in Sept. crash on Prospect Hill

Firefighters assess the situation as they first arrive at a crash on Prospect Hill Road last month. (Lebanon Voice file photo)

LEBANON - The man who was involved in last month’s Prospect Hill Road crash in which alcohol and speed were suspected factors has still not been identified or charged, a Maine State Trooper said on Monday.

The one-vehicle accident occurred around 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 24 in the area of 135 Prospect Hill Road when the vehicle slammed into some trees after speeding along much of the length of the road between Milton and the area of impact, Prospect Hill Road residents said.

A score of emergency vehicles swarmed the area with firefighters from Milton and Lebanon using the Jaws of Life to cut the 2011 Ford Escape's roof off before gingerly extricating the patient.

The man is currently from Lebanon but a bit of a drifter, said Maine State Police Trooper Jon Heimbach on Monday. Heimbach investigated the crash and said police are still awaiting test results to confirm the man’s blood alcohol content (BAC) before they decide whether or not to charge him with OUI.

He confirmed the test was done at Maine Medical Center, where the patient was Medflighted the night of the accident. 

He said the lab doing the testing had been backed up recently and that it often prioritizes analyzing according to relative degree of urgency in the case. Heimbach said with no other individuals or vehicles involved in the crash, the testing of the driver in this crash may have been put to the back of the pack.

He said getting test results back often takes from two to three weeks.

The man is said to be recovering from his injuries.