One driver injured

Lobster hauler, pickup collide in Rockport

Sun, 12/09/2012 - 12:30pm

Story Location:
Rockville Street
South Street
Rockport, ME 04856
United States

    ROCKPORT — A Searsmont man barely escaped serious injury late Sunday morning after his pickup truck was slammed into by an 18-wheeler hauling a load of lobster.

    Ronald Goguen, 59, of Moncton, New Brunswick, was driving a tractor with a 53-foot-long trailer east on Rockville Street around 10:30 a.m. when a pickup truck failed to stop at the intersection of South Street.

    "He never stopped at the stop sign, I didn't have a chance to do nothing," said Goguen.

    Goguen rig struck the passenger's side of the pickup truck and pulled it down the road as both trucks went into the ditch. The tractor trailer went over a stone wall and ran along the top of the wall for at least 10 feet, possibly more.

    Rockport Fire and Camden First Aid responded, along with the Camden Access Team.

    Crews worked to remove from Floyd Hews, 63, of Searsmont from the driver's side of his truck. Hews did not appear to be seriously injured, according to Rockport Police Officer Dana Smith. Assisting Smith at the scene was Knox County Sheriff's Deputy Paul Spear.

    Goguen was coming from Boothbay Harbor, where he had picked up 62 crates of live lobster. He was en route to JC Wood Lobster Co. on Rockville Street when the accident occured.

    "He was coming to us to pick up another 100 crates and head back home to New Brunswick with the lobsters," said Jack Wood of JC Wood. "Ronald's been driving rigs for 20 years and I don't think he's ever had an accident. I've always known him to be a very safe driver."

    Goguen said he was uninjured in the crash.

    "I just feel bad for the other guy, but I didn't have no time to even react, it happened so fast," said Goguen.

    Wood said a fully loaded 53-footer can weigh between 80,000 and 100,000 pounds. It can hold 448  crates. "It's the biggest trailer they make," said Wood.

    Because it was a commercial truck and trailer, the state's Commercial Vehicles Dept. would be involved in investigating the cause. Smith said that no charges would be filed against either driver.

    While awaiting an accident reconstructionist, Wood's crew, which had come to the scene from down the road, was given permission to offload the lobster into another truck so it could continue to its destination in New Brunswick.

    "It's a good thing the price of lobster is so low," joked one of the guys. "But they're packed up well and probably just fine in there."