ELLSWORTH, Maine — A man died in a nearly head-on collision on Route 1A in Ellsworth that shut down one lane of the major thoroughfare on Tuesday for several hours.
It happened in the area of McGowen's Hill around 1 p.m.
The fatal crash involved a black pick-up truck and a Penske moving truck and is still being investigated by the Ellsworth Police and the Hancock County Sheriff's Office.
Police say a man in his 60s, driving northbound in the pick-up truck, was pronounced dead at the scene. He was the only person inside that truck at the time of the crash.
The driver and passenger of the Penske box truck traveling southbound were not injured.
Police say heavy rain couple with grooved pavement on this stretch of Route 1A may have contributed to the crash.
"We don't know at this time which vehicle actually crossed over to cause the crash," said Ellsworth Police Chief Glen Moshier. "That's part of our ongoing investigation. We do know it was raining heavily at the time of the crash and some of the first responders had difficulty getting out here, noticed some hydroplaning, so it's possible that weather contributed to the crash."
Drivers in Ellsworth were rerouted to avoid Route 1 on the Dedham side for more than four hours on June 11.
Ellsworth police and fire were assisted by the Maine State Police truck weight unit and the Department of Environmental Protection due to a fuel leak from the Penske box truck after the crash.