Driver injured after tree he hit fell on SUV in Norridgewock

NORRIDGEWOCK – One person was injured after the vehicle he was driving veered off the road Thursday night and struck a tree, a responding official said.

The crash happened around 4 p.m. on US Route 2, also known as Skowhegan Road, when an SUV veered off the shoulder of the road, according to Norridgewock Fire Lt. Kyle Mullin.

“It was quite serious. The crash itself was significant,” Mullin said, adding that the vehicle “went off the roadway, hit a pine tree, and the tree trunk was thrown out and landed on top of the SUV.”

The unidentified driver was the only person in the vehicle. He was taken by ambulance to Redington-Fairview General Hospital in Skowhegan, according to Somerset County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Mike Mitchel.

“I can’t say the patient’s condition, but I don’t think there were any life-threatening injuries,” Mullin said. “The patient was able to extract himself and get out, but the damage to the SUV was quite significant.”

First responders from the Norridgewock Fire Department and the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office remained at the scene for several hours to clean up the heavy damage and put out small fires that had spread around the crash site, according to Mitchell .

“Vegetation, some wildlife, brush was on fire,” Mitchell said. “Firefighters were there for several hours.”

The cause of the crash was not immediately apparent to responding officials.