
A collision between a tractor trailer and an oncoming fuel truck on a snowy road in Maine resulted in the death of a truck driver on Monday morning.
The wreck happened on Monday, December 11th at approximately 9:30 a.m. in Franklin County, Maine, just 10 miles from the Canadian border.
According to Central Maine News, a blue 2000 International fuel truck owned by Dead River Co. was traveling north on Route 27 as an empty gray 2010 Peterbilt tractor-trailer owned by Nicols Bros. Trucking was traveling south. As the two trucks passed each other, the tractor trailer lost control on the snowy road, jackknifing and sliding into the northbound lane in front of the oncoming fuel truck. The fuel truck was unable to avoid the jackknifed tractor trailer and the two trucks collided, rupturing the tank of the fuel truck and crushing its cab.
The driver of the 18-wheeler, 70-year-old Jeffrey Lang, was treated for injuries on scene and released, but the fuel truck driver, 51-year-old Gregory Hutchinson, was killed.
“The roads had received recent snowfall and as both vehicles approached each other on a curved portion of the road the empty trailer lost traction — jackknifed — and slid into the travel lane of the northbound fuel truck killing Gregory Hutchinson instantly,” explained Franklin County Sheriff Scott Nichols.
The accident was initially reported by another truck driver who had to notify authorities of the wreck via radio due to lack of cell phone service in the area.
The fuel truck was hauling 2,000 gallons of No. 2 heating oil and 800 gallons of kerosene at the time of the accident. Crews spent several hours clearing the crash site, containing the fuel spill, and investigating the wreck, closing the road for hours, but the accident has since been cleared.