By Kathy McCarty
Staff Writer
WESTFIELD, Maine — A California truck driver escaped serious injury when he lost control of his tractor-trailer truck and went off U.S. Route 1 and into Pretty Brook Saturday night.
“On March 15 at approximately 11 p.m., Trooper Shawn Whalen and I responded to a report of a tractor trailer crash on Route 1 in Westfield. Josef Vencek, 70, of California, was southbound when he lost control of his 2005 Freightliner truck and trailer hauling a load of paper,” said Sgt. Brian Harris of the Maine State Police.
“Vencek’s truck and trailer jackknifed and then skidded off the opposite side of the roadway, striking a guardrail and skidding backwards off the road, rolling down an embankment and into a small stream,” continued Harris.
Vencek was not injured in the crash. His truck and trailer are considered a total loss, having sustained extensive damage as a result of the accident. The truck and trailer were removed from the scene by Brewers Service of Mars Hill.
Lee Thomas, oil and hazardous materials responder with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, also responded to handle minor cleanup at the site. There was no environmental damage to the stream.
