The rear axle of a Dodge Durango was ripped off during a three-car accident in Dresden the morning of Dec. 21. (Photo courtesy Wayne McCoy)
A Dresden woman was transported to an area hospital after a three-car accident on Middle Road in Dresden the morning of Dec. 21.
Pamela McCoy, 29, of Dresden, sustained minor injuries after a pickup truck failed to yield at the intersection of Middle Road and Calls Hill Road at approximately 8:20 a.m.
Pamela McCoy was driving a 2005 Dodge Durango west on Middle Road and Christopher G. Chapman, 47, of Dresden, was driving a 1999 Subaru Legacy in the opposite direction when Douglas Levitt, 86, of Dresden, driving a 2001 Ford Ranger, entered Middle Road from Calls Hill Road going east and did not yield the right-of-way, according to Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Rand Maker.
Chapman swerved to avoid hitting Levitt’s vehicle and instead struck Pamela McCoy’s vehicle, Maker said. The collision caused Pamela McCoy’s vehicle to strike Levitt’s as well.
Chapman was issued a criminal summons for operating after suspension and a ticket for failure to produce evidence of insurance, Maker said. Levitt was not issued a traffic citation.
Pamela McCoy’s husband, Wayne McCoy, said the accident has had lasting effects on his wife.
Pamela McCoy was transported to the hospital with chest and abdominal pain due to the seat belt, he said. Since the accident, she has had nightmares and has been unable to drive down Middle Road due to nerves. The McCoys’ vehicle was totaled in the crash.
A wheel was severed from a vehicle following a three-car accident the morning of Dec. 21. (Photo courtesy Wayne McCoy)
“I really felt that something more should have been done,” Wayne McCoy said.
“The individual driving under suspension should have been put in jail if nothing else. He could have gone back out, hit someone else, and seriously injured them,” he said.
According to Maker, operating after suspension could result in an arrest; however, the likelihood of Chapman serving jail time for it once he has had his day in court is extremely low. “I certainly understand why people get upset, but we have to act judiciously,” Maker said.
Chapman also did not cause the accident, Maker said.
“We have to look at the whole circumstance,” Maker said. “What are the costs and benefits of arresting someone and bringing them to jail for an offense they’re most likely going to be fined for?”
The cost of incarceration for a single person at Two Bridges Regional Jail in Wiscasset is approximately $150 a day, according to jail officials.
If an individual is cooperating with authorities and authorities believe they will appear in court if summonsed, it does not make sense to arrest them, Maker said.
“That being said, if we catch him driving again tomorrow, we most likely will arrest him,” Maker said. “His likelihood for jail time increases and we will be able to impose some bail conditions to prevent him from driving again.”
