CANTON — Five people escaped injury Friday in three unrelated accidents in five hours on Route 140.

At 6:21 a.m., Karol Maliska, 61, of Hartford, was driving a 2004 Ford Ranger north just beyond the Hartford line when he swerved to avoid a fox, Oxford County Deputy Sheriff Justin Brown said.

Maliska lost control of the pickup truck, which rolled over and went down a 20-foot embankment, narrowly missing a camp, he said. Maliska wasn’t injured, but his truck was totaled.

At about 9:30 a.m., Jeremy Luce, 24, of Hartford lost control of a 1999 Honda Shadow motorcycle, Brown said. The Honda went off the right shoulder and tumbled for a distance, he said. Luce suffered minor scratches and scrapes, and the Honda was scratched and dented, and had broken parts.

The third accident happened at 11:30 a.m. at the intersection of Routes 108. William Doughty, 68, of Greenville told Deputy Sheriff Josh Wyman that he was traveling west on Route 140 in a 2012 Dodge 1500 pickup truck. Doughty said he stopped at the stop sign and proceeded to cross Route 108.

On suddenly seeing a southbound 2000 Chrysler Sebring driven by Robert Wing, 49, of Canton, Doughty’s passenger, Roger Young, 68, of Greenville yelled, “‘Hey! Car!'” Wyman said.

The truck struck the Chrysler’s driver’s side front corner, crushing it in and left tire marks and a dent in the rear quarter panel. The impact sent the Sebring into the eastbound lane of Route 140.

Doughty drove the truck just down the street to Canton Variety.

“He said he didn’t see the car coming,” Wyman said.

The truck had scratches on the passenger side. And although both airbags in the Chrysler deployed, Wyman didn’t think it was totaled, but it had to be hauled away by a tow truck.

There were no charges filed in any of the accidents.

Wyman said three accidents in five hours on Route 140 in Canton was highly unusual.

tkarkos@sunjournal.com

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