Maine police officers remember Detective Benjamin Campbell on the three-year anniversary of his tragic death in Hampden.
The incident that took Campbell's life happened around 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 3, 2019.
Campbell was pulled over along Interstate 95 near Exit 180, helping a driver who had spun out of control. He was standing outside of his cruiser when two wheels separated from a tractor-trailer logging truck that was driving past him. One of the wheels landed in the median but the other hit Campbell in the breakdown lane.
As a result of the impact, Campbell suffered severe injuries. Multiple units responded to the scene to treat him, but he succumbed to his injuries. Campbell was taken by ambulance to Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center where he was later pronounced dead.
"Our state is heartbroken over the loss of Detective Benjamin Campbell," Gov. Janet Mills said in a statement in 2019. "Maine's law enforcement professionals put themselves in harm's way every day to protect our state, keep our communities safe, and help our fellow citizens. Campbell dedicated his career to fulfilling that mission and, ultimately, gave his life in service of it."
Thousands of police officers, state troopers, and public safety employees and relatives gathered to remember Campbell, mourn his loss, and give tribute to his service at the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland in 2019. Representatives from 18 other state police and highway patrol agencies, along with members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, attended the tribute to Campbell, according to former Maine Department of Public Safety spokesperson Stephen McCausland.
Campbell would have turned 35 years old Wednesday, April 8, 2022.
Campbell is survived by his wife, Hillary, and their son, Everett.