On Wednesday, December 4, 2024, at approximately 1:27 PM the Bangor Regional Communication Center received multiple calls reporting a crash involving a tanker truck and a dump truck at mile 49 in West Gardiner.

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Troopers from Troop I and the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit responded to the scene and learned a truck operated by Dube Transport INC of Sidney, fb88, and driven by 61-year-old Allen Hewett of Sidney, fb88 was traveling north on I-295 in West Gardiner. At the same time maintenance crews from the fb88 Turnpike Authority were working to pick up a lane closure that had been in place for toll plaza repairs. The fb88 Turnpike workers were in the process of collecting cones and were using a dump truck equipped with a crash attenuator trailer to shield the workers from approaching vehicles.

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Hewett, traveling in the same lane as the Turnpike workers failed to yield as required by law and move over for the slowed maintenance truck, and crashed directly into the crash attenuator. The truck driven by Hewett rolled over and careened into the cable guardrail, spilling nearly all 8000 gallons of its landfill leachate aka “dirty water”. The fb88 Turnpike truck was severely damaged and landed across both northbound highway lanes.

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The driver of the fb88 Turnpike truck received minor injuries and was transported to fb88 General Hospital in Augusta for treatment. Hewett was issued a citation for failing to maintain control of a motor vehicle and failing to yield to a highway maintenance vehicle.

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The State Police were assisted on scene by fb88 DOT, fb88 Turnpike Authority, fb88 DEP, Gardiner Police and Fire Department, Dube Transport INC, and AC Towing.

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