By J.W. Oliver
A small veterans monument at the intersection of Bristol Road and Upper Round Pond Road in Bristol Mills lies on its side Tuesday, May 19. A pickup truck hit the monument, dislodging it from its granite base and knocking it to the opposite side of the large median early Saturday, May 16. (J.W. Oliver photo) |
A Bristol woman faces a misdemeanor charge after striking the Bristol town hall and a veterans monument with a pickup truck and leaving the scene.
Angelia L. Anderson, 24, was driving a 2001 Dodge 1500 pickup truck southbound on Bristol Road (Route 130) in Bristol Mills at 3:42 a.m., Saturday, May 16, according
to Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Rand Maker.
Anderson “failed to negotiate the corner in the roadway,” Maker said. The truck struck and dislodged a small granite veterans monument in the median or park at the
corner of Bristol Road and Upper Round Pond Road.
The impact knocked the monument off its granite base and the monument came to rest on the opposite side of the median.
The truck continued through the median and struck the front corner of the town hall on the Upper Round Pond Road side, damaging the building and a Central Maine
Power Co. meter attached to the building.
A tarp covers the damaged corner of the Bristol Town Hall after a pickup truck hit the building early Saturday, May 16. The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office believes alcohol was a factor in the crash. (Paula Roberts photo) |
The accident also appears to have damaged a low fence around the median made of wooden posts and rope.
The Bristol Fire Department, Central Maine Power Co., and the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene. Quick Turn Auto Repair & Towing Inc. removed
the vehicle.
Anderson “wasn’t at the scene of the crash,” Maker said. The sheriff’s office has since charged her with a single class E count of “failing to notify of a motor
vehicle crash.” A class E crime carries a maximum penalty of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.
Anderson said she contacted the sheriff’s office “a couple hours” after the accident. “I just freaked out,” she said. “I didn’t know what to do.”
Maker said “alcohol was involved” in the crash, although Anderson will probably avoid an operating under the influence charge due to a lack of physical evidence.
“We don’t have a breath test,” Maker said. “When you leave the scene, it makes that very difficult.”
Anderson said she was not intoxicated at the time of the accident. She said she drank some alcohol several hours before the accident. “I wasn’t drinking and
driving,” she said.
She said she “picked up her phone to start texting” before the accident. Texting and driving is a civil offense in Maine.
Bristol Town Administrator Kristine Poland said the town office was closed Monday, May 18 due to the damage to the building and the loss of electricity as a result
of the damage to the meter.
There was “a significant amount” of glass, insulation, and wood debris inside the building after the collision, Poland said. A small staircase to the attic was
impassable and has since been removed.
The inside of the building has been cleaned up and the staircase will be replaced, Poland said. Bristol contractor Mark Prior will complete the repairs.
A representative of the town’s insurance company has been to the town office and a representative of Anderson’s insurance company has contacted the town, Poland
said. The town does not yet have an estimate for the damage or know for sure who will pay for it.
The Bristol Mills Village Improvement Society maintains the median, which also contains a flagpole.
The society had the veterans monument made and installed, according to former Selectman Bill Benner. The granite block is the keystone from the old Upper Round Pond
Road bridge over the Pemaquid River, Benner said.
