One man died and two men were critically injured as a result of a head-on collision on the Union Road in Waldoboro June 4. Harold Benner, 66, of Waldoboro was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after emergency personnel arrived moments after the 4 p.m. call.
Steven Kaler, 43, from Warren and Robert Colpritt, 33, from Rockland were traveling south on Rt. 235 (Union Road) in Kaler’s 1965 Chevy pickup when their vehicle crossed the centerline and struck Benner’s northbound 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee.
Waldoboro firefighters, police and Emergency Medical Service personnel responded to the scene.
Waldoboro Fire Chief Paul Smeltzer said Kaler’s truck was on fire when emergency personnel arrived. “They were both right together,” Smeltzer said.
According to Waldoboro firefighter Derek Reed, Kaler had crawled to the side of the road and was on fire. Reed said Colpritt was found hanging out of the passenger side window and pinned between the jeep and the truck. The truck was on fire. Benner was trapped inside the jeep, but was already deceased emergency personnel said.
After extinguishing the fire and tending to Kaler, the alleged driver, responders lifted the back end of the jeep by hand to ease the pressure off Colpritt who remained pinned between the two vehicles.
“I don’t care to go to another accident after seeing that,” Reed said. “It’s the worst thing to experience as a firefighter.”
According to Waldoboro Police, Kaler and Colpritt suffered serious injuries and were reported to be in critical condition. Kaler was taken from the Waldoboro Fire Station by Life Flight helicopter to Maine Medical Center in Portland for the treatment of his burn injuries.
Colpritt was taken by ambulance to Miles Memorial Hospital in Damariscotta and later flown by Life Flight helicopter to Maine Medical Center. The Waldoboro Fire Dept. received mutual aid from the Warren Fire Dept. and Bremen firefighters responded to the Waldoboro Fire Station for coverage and to set up a landing zone for the Life Flight helicopter.
“It was a tough situation to deal with,” Smeltzer said. “All personnel and firefighters that assisted did the best of their ability. They did what was needed.”
At some point during emergency procedures, a neighbor was arrested and released for criminal trespass. According to police, Dave Hidden, 72, of Union Road in Waldoboro walked into the scene as police and emergency personnel were on task.
Waldoboro Police Det. Lance Mitchell said Hidden looked inebriated at the time and disrupted the accident scene. Hidden was arrested after he refused several requests to leave the scene, Mitchell said.
Hidden said he was arrested for trespassing on his own land, alleging he was standing on the side of the road where the accident took place.
During an interview the following day, Hidden acknowledged he drinks to dull chronic pain from which he suffers. He said he has difficulty hearing and also walking.
“Harold was a good friend of mine,” Hidden said, adding that his land abuts Benner’s property. “He was a good egg.”
Benner was just seconds away from his home at the time of the accident. The collision took place on an incline and a curve in the road.
Hidden said the Union Road is in bad shape, with narrow spots and dips. The road used to be called the Cordoroy Road, Hidden said, because people would use cords of wood to continue the road over the nearby bog. Now commuters speed by, seemingly oblivious to the road’s condition.
According to Waldoboro Police, speed is considered to be a factor in the accident. Maine State Police performed an accident reconstruction. Mitchell declined to speculate on what charges if any may be filed, saying the case is still under investigation.
At press time, Kaler and Colpritt are both still undergoing treatment for their injuries at Maine Medical Center and are still reported to be in critical condition.
