ROCKPORT — A propane truck full of fuel nearly tipped into a rocky ditch in Rockport, after its driver attempted to avoid crashing into a pickup truck that careened in front of him through an intersection.

At 12:20 p.m., today, March 13, Cameron Henry was heading west on West Street in Rockport, about to proceed through the routes 90 and 1 intersection, and continue on Route 90. He was driving the Dead River Co. propane delivery truck, and had just made three customer stops. His truck, which holds 3,200 gallons of propane, was still almost full, and Henry had another 34 delivery stops ahead of him for the day.

He had the green light at the intersection, and was proceeding west when a 1993 Ford 150 pickup suddenly cut in front of him.

At the wheel of the pickup was a 17-year-old, first-time driver, with a passenger and dog in the cab with her. The driver was heading south on Route 1, and according to preliminary reports, she saw the propane truck but could not stop, because the brakes in her truck failed to grab.

She turned right onto Route 90, right in the path of Henry.

Henry tried to stop before colliding with the Ford, and his propane truck went off the road, onto the rocky side of Route 90, and landed precariously, still upright, but edging down toward the road.

While an ambulance crew from North East Mobile Health Services transported Henry to the hospital with reported neck pain, and Rockport Police Officer Travis Ford investigated the cause of the near-collision, Rockport firefighters and Stevie Laite, owner of Camden Exxon garage and towing services, engineered getting the proprane truck back onto the highway.

The biggest concern was that the truck would completely tip onto its side and propane would leak from it.

Laite called his other truck into service, attached a cable to the side of the propane truck, and a manager from Dead River climbed into the truck’s driver seat.

Using the tow cable as a tension stabilizer, the propane truck was slowly backed down off the rocks and onto the highway.

Officer Ford, meanwhile, talked with the Ford 150 driver, who said that she had tried to get the brakes to work when she came to the red light, but failed. Laite got into the truck and tested the brakes, and checked the brake fluid.

Ford said the investigation into the incident was ongoing, and the truck was to be towed to a garage. 

Reach Editorial Director Lynda Clancy at lyndaclancy@penbaypilot.com