A driver who was allegedly under the influence crossed the centerline of River Road in Dresden and caused a head-on crash late Friday, March 30.
Jeffrey E. Bodge, 40, of Dresden, was driving a silver 2000 Toyota Celica south on River Road, toward Woolwich and near Popp Road, at the time of the crash, according to Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Mark Bridgham. Timothy D. Sickel, 65, of Litchfield, was driving a white 1991 Honda Civic north on Route 128.
Bodge crossed the centerline and struck Sickel head-on at about 9:25 p.m., according to Bridgham.
Sickel was transported to Mid Coast Hospital in Brunswick with a severe, though non-life-threatening, head laceration, according to Bridgham. Bodge also sustained head injuries, but declined to go to a hospital. There were no passengers in either vehicle.
Bridgham arrested Bodge and took him to Two Bridges Regional Jail, where he immediately posted $600 cash bail and was released.
Bodge faces a charge of class D operating under the influence and could face additional charges, according to Bridgham.
The OUI charge is class D, rather than the standard class E, because Bodge’s blood-alcohol level was allegedly at least 0.15 grams per 100 milliliters of blood – nearly double the legal limit, according to Bridgham. He declined to disclose the exact blood-alcohol level.
Bodge, in a brief phone conversation, said he feels awful about the crash. He said he had been drinking a lot recently but is “done for good now.”
Bodge said he was going around a corner and hit black ice prior to the collision.
Both vehicles were totaled, according to Bridgham. The Celica’s airbags deployed. The 1991 Civic did not have airbags.
The accident remains under investigation.
The Dresden Fire Department, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, Richmond Police Department, Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office, and Wiscasset Ambulance Service responded to the scene.
The road was closed for under an hour during the emergency response.
