Motorist involved in accident before crashing into Boothbay utility pole

Medical condition may have caused both accidents say law enforcement officers
Tue, 09/12/2017 - 1:30pm

A Boothbay man was involved in a traffic accident minutes before he crashed his 2000 Chevrolet pickup truck into a Route 27 utility pole last week, according to Boothbay Harbor Police Sgt. Larry Brown.

Michael Jones, 39, was traveling north on Route 27 in Boothbay Harbor around 3:30 p.m. on Sept. 6 when he sideswiped a 2017 Volvo heading south driven by Barrett Gilchrist, who was traveling with a passenger, wife Ellen Gilchrist, Brown said. Jones continued heading north until he crossed over the center line eventually hitting and snapping a utility pole near the Boothbay Common.

No one was hurt. Both vehicles were operational following the accident, Brown said.

The utility pole, which snapped into two pieces, is the major damage resulting from Jones’ driving. The Boothbay accident resulted in Route 27 traffic being delayed by hours while the local fire department and Central Maine Power repair crews attended to the fallen utility pole.

Boothbay Fire Department arrived at the scene around 3:45 p.m. and provided traffic control for 2.5 hours. CMP arrived around 5:15 p.m., according to Boothbay Fire Chief Dick Spofford. CMP assessed the damage and a larger repair truck arrived over three hours later.

“We couldn’t move the truck. The wires were hanging down and we didn’t want anyone to get shocked, ” said Spofford. “About three and a half hours later, CMP brought in some bigger trucks and started working on the wires.”

Boothbay Harbor Police Department has concluded its investigation. The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department has not. “Our investigation is done and no charges are pending. Both the BHPD and sheriff’s department are checking to see if the accidents were caused by a medical condition,” Brown said.

Deputy Sheriff Kevin Dennison is investigating the Boothbay accident. He confirmed the sheriff’s department is looking into a medical problem as the cause of Jones’ erratic driving.