FALMOUTH — A Massachusetts man was extricated from his pickup truck Wednesday after it skidded off the Maine Turnpike and crashed into woods.
The driver, Frank Zaia, 56, of West Newbury, was taken to Maine Medical Center with injuries police described as not life-threatening. His condition was not immediately available later Wednesday night.
Police said Zaia was driving his 2015 GMC Sierra pickup south at about 2 p.m. when he began to drive erratically, drifting back and forth across lanes.
One witness reported that Zaia was either asleep or passed out prior to leaving the road, according to Maine Department of Public Safety spokesman Stephen McCausland.
Zaia drove off the pavement and crossed the wide grass shoulder, according to McCausland. He then drove up and over a hill at the tree line, his car going airborne before striking a tree, police said.
The tree was knocked over and came to rest on top of Zaia’s pickup, which was in the trees and barely could be seen from the road, McCausland said.
Police said Zaia regained consciousness as Cumberland Fire and medical crews freed him from the wreck. Maine Turnpike Authority highway maintenance workers assisted from the first moments of the crash in the effort to reach Zaia and assisted in removing trees.
Police said intoxication was not a factor in the crash. The cause remained under investigation Wednesday night.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
