NEW SWEDEN, Maine — A Caribou man was charged with operating under the influence of alcohol following a two-vehicle accident Saturday afternoon on Jemtland Road in New Sweden, according to the Maine State Police.
Gerald Kinney, 53 of Caribou was traveling east along Jemtland Road shortly before 2:30 p.m. when his 2002 Dodge pick-up truck veered into oncoming traffic, colliding with a 1997 Ford utility truck driven by Patrick Caron, 29, of Fort Kent, Cpl. Chuck T. Michaud said in a news release Sunday.
Caron veered to the left and attempted to stop. Kinney’s vehicle then swerved back into its lane and the two vehicles crashed head on, Michaud said.
The impact ripped the front driver’s side wheels off from both vehicles. The trucks also sustained “significant damage” and had to be towed from the scene.
Kinney was transported by Caribou Fire and Ambulance to Cary Medical Center in Caribou, where he was treated for “minor injuries” and released, according to Michaud. Caron and an unnamed passenger were not injured in the crash.
As a result of a subsequent investigation, Kinney was summoned to Caribou Superior Court for operating under the influence, Michaud said. He is scheduled to appear Oct. 6.
Both Kinney and Caron were wearing seatbelts and speed does not appear to have been a factor, according to Michaud.
