SEDGWICK — A Deer Isle man was taken to the hospital Friday afternoon after being pinned inside a pickup truck when it went off the road and struck a utility pole.
Maine State Police Trooper Daniel Ryan said 19-year-old Bradley Heanssler was headed south on Route 15 in a Ford Ranger shortly before noon.
As Heanssler crested the hill at the Caterpillar Hill scenic overlook, he lost control of the truck. Ryan said the road was snowy and had not been sanded at that time.
The truck went off the road and struck a utility pole. Sedgwick Fire Chief David Carter said the truck sustained “major damage” and was pinned against the pole.
Heanssler’s legs were pinned underneath the dashboard, and Carter described the extrication as “very lengthy” and “very complicated.”
Firefighters — Carter said about 20 responded to the call — used Jaws of Life equipment from both the Sedgwick and Brooklin fire departments to free Heanssler.
“We got one door open and then took the roof off to gain better access,” said Carter. He said the cab of the truck was pretty much disconnected from the frame of the vehicle.
Heanssler and his passenger, a teenage girl, were both taken to Blue Hill Memorial Hospital. Ryan said the girl suffered bruising from an airbag.
The trooper did not know the exact extent of Heanssler’s injuries, because he was called to another crash while at the Caterpillar Hill scene, but said it was “nothing life-threatening.”
Carter said Heanssler was conscious during the extrication process. The chief said firefighters worked on keeping the man warm while they worked to free him from the truck.
Asked if speed was a factor in the crash, Ryan said Heanssler may have been driving too fast for the conditions. The trooper described the crash as primarily weather-related, however.