LEVANT, Maine — A woman from Bar Harbor was taken to Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center with life-threatening injuries after a crash in Levant Tuesday morning.
The crash shut down Avenue Road for several hours while crews responded to the scene.
Jennifer Archie, 38, reportedly went off the road in her 2010 Toyota Corolla and struck a utility pole and tree stump, causing her to be ejected from the vehicle, Sgt. Alden Bustard of the Maine State Police told NEWS CENTER Maine at the scene. The vehicle then burst into flames.
Speed appears to be a factor in the crash, Maine Department of Public Safety spokesperson Shannon Moss said in a press release. Moss said officials did not know if Archie was wearing a seatbelt at the time. She was the only person in the vehicle.
Two brothers, Rick Call and Brian Call witnessed the crash. Rick rushed in to pull Archie away from the burning vehicle while Brian called 9-1-1.
"She was coming up the road, took out our neighbor's mailbox, come across our dooryard here," Rick said. "Went through that telephone pole, threw it like ten feet in the air, struck that tree stump over there, then struck the back of the tractor where the white stuff is and where the car landed."
While sitting in his driveway on the back of his truck, Rick said Archie was thrown from her car. Rick burned his arm in the process of getting Archie to safety.
"I went to her and hollered to see if she could talk, but all she could do is breathe hard," he said. "She was against the tractor, but the fire was getting so hot that if I hadn't pulled her away, she would've melted."
Rick said the pain from his burns started to worsen as he told NEWS CENTER Maine what happened. He drove himself to the hospital shortly after interviewing.
Brian Call said nothing would have prepared him for what he saw this morning.
"Like something you see out of a TV show," Brian said. "I've never seen anything like that in real life."
Brian said when he visits his brother, he usually parks his car right where the downed wire now hangs.
"I just happened to pull up here this morning," he said. "So, I would have been in the wrong place."
Brian walked through the yard looking at the damage, the car rim that was left behind, along with other items from the woman's car, explaining he could only hope for the best.
"Well, I hope the girl comes out of it OK, but I can say she was in pretty bad shape," Brian said.
Avenue Road has since reopened to traffic.
The crash remains under investigation, and Archie's current condition is unknown.