On Monday morning, there was a fatal wrong-way collision on I-95. Two people lost their lives in the collision in Falmouth, Maine, while a third person suffered critical injuries.
Near mile marker 10 on the northbound side of the interstate, the collision happened around 10 a.m., requiring emergency services to arrive and forcing the closure of the road for a number of hours.
Due to the tragic tragedy, there were significant traffic bottlenecks, which forced drivers to avoid the scene and travel on local routes.
Fatalities and injuries
Emergency personnel responded to the site after the incident near milepost 10 on the northbound side of I-295.
At first, state police lacked information on the severity of the wounds. They later acknowledged in a news release that two people had died as a result of their wounds.
The deceased were named as Allen Apblett, 61, of Oklahoma, and Nancy Ezhaya, 72, both of Yarmouth.
At the accident scene, both individuals were declared dead.
There has been no more word on the condition of Apblett’s wife’s critical injuries since she was transferred to Maine Medical Centre in Portland.
Collision and investigation
According to the Maine State Police, a preliminary investigation found that Ezhaya’s Toyota SUV entered I-295 from the northbound lane while travelling south.
Due to this, the SUV crossed into the correct northbound lane and struck a Honda SUV, resulting in the fatal accident.
Investigators have not yet established the cause of Ezhaya’s wrong-way driving.
Police are still looking into the event in an effort to learn additional information regarding the collision.
Traffic impact
The accident had a tremendous impact on traffic during the busy holiday weekend, forcing I-295 to be closed for about three hours.
At Exit 11 in Falmouth, the I-295 highway was shut down, and traffic was diverted onto Route 1.
Long lines of parked cars were caused by the diversion, which was in place for several hours. Around 1:15 p.m., the interstate reopened.
However, there were also considerable delays brought on by the traffic on the southbound side of the roadway.
Many motorists and their families spent hours delayed in their cars; some passed the time by playing ball, riding scooters, or strolling their pets.
Funeral home response
Following the tragedy, rumours that a funeral home’s van had arrived at the accident scene sparked worries and rumours about the disaster’s actual cause.
The funeral home’s presence may have been related to the tragedy, but no formal remarks have been made to that effect.
It is yet unknown why the driver of the Toyota SUV was driving against traffic as police and other law-enforcement organisations look into the accident’s cause.
On one of the busiest travel weekends of the year, the incident significantly disrupted traffic, leaving drivers and their families stranded and limiting their mobility for many hours.
Authorities have asked for the public’s assistance in the investigation into the Falmouth, Maine accident and have urged anyone with information about the collision to come forward.
