The driver of a Ford Ranger was arrested and charged with operating under the influence and driving to endanger after a collision on School Street in Damariscotta on Wednesday, Jan. 8. (Matthew Mitterhoff photo)
A Bristol man faces charges of operating under the influence and driving to endanger after an accident on School Street in Damariscotta on Monday, Jan. 8, which sent a Bristol woman to the hospital.
Seumas Fletcher, 51, was driving a 1998 Ford Ranger north on School Street in the vicinity of Sycamore Lane when he collided with a 2011 Kia Sorento driven by Stacey Simmons, 43, of Bristol, according to Damariscotta Police Sgt. Erick Halpin.
The collision was a side-swipe, resulting in disabling damage to the front driver’s sides of both vehicles, Halpin said. As a result of the collision, the Sorento went off the road and came to a rest in a snowbank. Police have not determined the cause of the accident.
Fletcher did not report any injuries. Halpin administered a sobriety test, then arrested Fletcher on charges of class D operating under the influence and class E driving to endanger, both misdemeanors, and took him to Two Bridges Regional Jail in Wiscasset.
The Central Lincoln County Ambulance Service took Simmons to LincolnHealth’s Miles Campus in Damariscotta. The extent of her injuries was unknown, said Halpin, but she had been released by 4:30 p.m. Monday.
Citing the ongoing investigation, Halpin declined to comment on what substance Fletcher was allegedly under the influence of or on his level of alleged intoxication.
Traffic was reduced to one lane on School Street after the accident until the vehicles were removed from the scene. The Damariscotta Fire Department provided traffic control.
The Central Lincoln County Ambulance Service, the Damariscotta Fire Department, the Damariscotta Police Department, and the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.
Quick Turn Auto Repair & Towing, of Damariscotta, removed both vehicles from the scene. Fletcher’s vehicle has been impounded, Halpin said.
