OAKFIELD, Maine — A 34-year-old Oakfield man was arrested Saturday evening after he lost control of a tractor-trailer and struck a home on the River road, causing significant damage.
Christopher Crowe was operating a 2002 Western Star tractor-trailer truck westbound on the River Road when he lost control of the truck on a curve, according to Sgt. Joshua Haines of the Maine State Police. The truck left the roadway striking a utility pole, cutting the pole in half.
The truck continued through a private lawn, striking a residence causing significant damage. The force of the impact detached the garage from the residence.
The homeowners, Greg and Tammi Nevers, were in the residence at the time of the incident.
“Several feet to the right and the unit would have smashed through the house causing injuries, but fortunately there were no injuries other than the driver and passenger,” Haines said.
According to the weekly report on the Troop F website, the home has been struck several times in the past by motor vehicles. The report also stated that two individuals fled the scene following the crash and that both were located. The name of the passenger was not released.
Thus far only the operator has been charged. Crowe was charged with aggravated criminal mischief.
Tammi Nevers said Tuesday that she and her husband have been traumatized by the ordeal. Tammi was in her living room, while her husband was in the bathroom, when she felt a tremendous rumble and saw headlights in the window.
“I stood up and just started screaming, ‘Oh my God Greg, it’s a trailer truck and it’s not stopping,” Nevers said. “It got right to almost my living room window and seemed to flip to the left somehow and went right down the side of the house.”
Nevers said had the rig been a few feet to the right, both her and her husband likely would have been crushed to death.
“It was really like being in a 3-D movie,” she said. “I saw the transformer blow up on the telephone pole. It was just like a movie. I was frozen. I simply could not move. All I could do was scream.
Since the incident, the couple has been staying with family members, but Tammi admitted she has not been able to sleep.
“Every time a truck goes by an hits a pothole, I hear that sound and it wakes me right up,” she said.
Nevers said they would not likely be able to return to their home for several months because the structural integrity of the building has been compromised. The home is also without electricity as the meter was ripped off the side of the home and imbedded in the truck’s grill.
“Many people don’t realize, we are not able to live in the house right now,” she said. “They see the photo and it looks like it was just the garage, but it really was much more than that. The floors are sagging and many of the walls are cracked.”
Nevers added she was thankful her grandchild was not at home at the time of the incident.
Surprisingly, it was not the first time her home has been struck by a vehicle. Located on a curve where traffic has a tendency to exceed the speed limit, Nevers said her home has been hit three times.
“We have gone to the town and asked them to do something,” she said. “We were going to put boulders on the lawn, but were told we would be liable if someone got hurt. We asked the town to put up guard rails and they refused.”
The tractor-trailer truck, which is owned by Christopher Sides of C.T. Sides LLC in Patten, was considered a total loss. Also destroyed was Nevers’ Toyota Rav4 sport utility vehicle. Her husband’s truck, which the couple purchased just three weeks ago, received only cosmetic damage. Crowe was not employed by C.T. Sides at the time of the incident, but was being considered for employment, according to Amanda Sirois, office manager for C.T. Sides. Sirois said Crowe was not authorized to be in the vehicle at the time of the incident and was not hauling lumber.
Nevers said she believes a higher power was at work in keeping her and her husband safe.
“We know we are both very lucky to be alive,” she said. “That truck was coming right at our living room and it was as if something came down, stopped it and flipped the truck right around so it wouldn’t hit the house.”
An estimated 2,877 residents were without power for several hours as a result of the incident, according to Susan Faloon of Emera Maine. The crash affected a transmission line serving customers south of Houlton.
The investigation is ongoing and additional charges may be pending after the file is reviewed by the District Attorney’s Office, Haines said. It was undetermined if Crowe was wearing a seatbelt.
Crowe was taken to Houlton Regional Hospital for minor injuries and later taken to the Aroostook County Jail. Bail was set at $10,000. As of Tuesday morning, he remained at the jail. A court date in Houlton Superior Court has been set for Dec. 17.
Damage to the home were estimated at more than $10,000. The tractor-trailer was destroyed.
Troopers Jared Sylvia and Nick Casavant assisted in the case.
