PORTLAND — No charges have been filed in relation to an accident on I-295 that ended with a dairy truck on its side, and southbound traffic rerouted through Falmouth and Portland.

According to Stephen McCausland, spokesperson for the Maine State Police, the driver, Herbert Staples, of Belfast, told troopers that he’d fallen asleep just prior to hitting guard rails, Friday morning, Oct. 26.

Along with first responders and the Department of Transportation, the Department of Environmental Protection Agency was called since fuel and diesel are contaminants to ground water.

PORTLAND — A few highway motorists may have been left crying over spilled milk late this morning as traffic backed up along a stretch of I-295 in Portland, Friday, Oct. 26.

According to a State Police news release, a tractor trailer fully-loaded with milk, and driven by a Belfast resident, crashed through guard rails off the southbound lanes just north of the S-turns near the Falmouth line. The truck then ended up on its side along the banks of a river.

As a result, milk and diesel fuel began leaking at the crash site. 

For a brief time following the accident, traffic was reduced to one lane, and major backups were expected once equipment arrived to remove the truck.

However, in the next hour, the stretch of highway between Falmouth and Portland was shut down entirely. Traffic is being diverted to the Falmouth Spur of the Maine Turnpike and to other roads in Falmouth.

The closure is expected to take most of the afternoon while cleanup crews tend to the wreckage, which includes pumping the milk and diesel from the truck before the wreck is removed. 

The truck driver, Herbert Staples, escaped serious injuries, according to the release, but was still transported to a Portland hospital.

The truck is owned by M.A. Haskell and Son of China, Maine.

The Maine DEP and DOT have been on scene.