KITTERY, Maine — Police believe a Caribou man was driving the wrong way on the Maine Turnpike when he crashed a car into a tractor-trailer and died Thursday morning.
The crash happened around 12:30 a.m. at mile 2 southbound in Kittery, by the Wilson Road overpass, according to a release from Maine Department of Public Safety spokesperson Shannon Moss.
Moss said Caleb Ewing, 29, died at the scene.
The driver and owner of the tractor-trailer was Joshua Stone, 46, of Auburn. Moss said Stone was not injured in the crash.
Police believe Ewing entered onto the turnpike in Kittery and drove in the wrong direction, going northbound in the southbound lane while Stone was driving his tractor-trailer, which was hauling bottled water at the time, southbound. Stone tried to avoid Ewing's car but couldn't, according to Moss. She said Ewing struck the side of the tractor-trailer, rupturing the fuel tank and causing diesel fuel to spill out onto the roadway.
The turnpike was shut down to one lane for hours while police investigated and crews worked to remove the vehicles and reopen the roadway.
The investigation into the crash is ongoing. Moss said it is unclear at this time if speed and alcohol were contributing factors.
