CARIBOU, Maine — Caribou Police handled 16 accidents from Feb. 24 to 28 as high winds, heavy snowfall, and low visibility caused 16 accidents and led to many more vehicles off the road. Highway crews kept one lane of some roads open, but shut down others completely.
“It was chaos,” said Laura Adams, administrative assistant at the Caribou Police Department. “We have never been that busy here. Even the chief was answering phones.”
In 12 years of working for Caribou PD, Adams said she has never seen the department handling such a high number of incidents at one time.
No serious injuries were reported during the week, as most accidents only resulted in property damage. Adams indicated, however, that one caller was “hysterical” as snow swirled and drifted around a stuck vehicle and the individual feared being “buried alive.” Thankfully, the department was able to rescue that person.
Several accidents occurred on a stretch of Main Street between the motel and the Northern Maine Development Commission. Adams said this area is notorious for blowing snow, as there are little to no trees blocking the wind. The Van Buren Road, particularly near the Belanger Road intersection, also is prone to drifts and whiteout conditions.
Other accidents occurred on the Access Highway, East and West Presque Isle roads, Aldrich Drive, and the at the intersection of the Baird and Bowles roads.
Many accidents occurred while motorists were driving home from work, as several roads were closed and the police were inundated with calls from drivers asking how they should get home.
While the volume of accidents in less than a week was extremely rare for the area, Caribou Police urge residents to be prepared, dress in warm clothing, and keep blankets in their vehicles during storms as getting stuck is sometimes unavoidable.
