AUBURN — Four people were injured on Friday when three SUVs collided near the causeway on Route 4, snarling traffic for miles.
According to police, Fernand Dumoulin of Rumford was headed south on Route 4 when his Chevrolet SUV collided with the back of a vehicle driven by Caitlin Knight of Auburn, who had stopped to make a left turn onto Fair Street.
Knight’s Nissan was forced into the oncoming lane, police said, where it was struck by a Toyota Highlander driven by Robert Weiss of Auburn who was driving northbound.
Two people from each of the other SUVs, including Knight’s 8-year-old son, were taken to Lewiston hospitals with injuries suffered in the wreck. Their injuries were described by police as not life-threatening.
The 5:30 p.m. wreck backed up traffic in both directions as late-day commuters traveled into or out of the city.
Police directed traffic around the crash site as fire crews responded and paramedics tended to victims. Traffic slowed to a crawl, nearly back to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Bridge and came to a standstill near Lake Shore Drive.
One traveler reported that it took an additional 20 minutes to get from his home in Hebron to his workplace in Lewiston. Several others said they were stuck in traffic for more than an hour.
Police were still investigating the wreck later Friday night.
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