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By Shawn Merrithew

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A trio of weekend accidents in the region sent four people to hospital, one in serious condition.

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PHOTO BY DEVON JUDGE

Two of the five occupants of this Chevrolet halfton were transported to hospital Saturday night after the vehicle left the road and collided with a hydro pole.

Late Friday night, police responded to a severe accident along the Rockland Road, near Hartland, according to District 7 RCMP Sgt. Dave Vautour.

Sgt. Vautour said a woman was attempting to pass another vehicle when she lost control of her vehicle and sideswiped the car she was passing. Her vehicle swerved off the road and landed in a potato field.

"The driver was very seriously injured," said Sgt. Vautour, noting she was taken to the Upper River Valley Hospital (URVH) in Waterville.

"(But) her injuries are non life-threatening."

Vautour pointed out the other car suffered some minor damage but did not leave the road, nor was the other driver hurt.

He said police are still investigating the cause of the accident, but it is believed alcohol was involved.

"We are investigating the fact that alcohol could be a factor," Vautour said.

On Saturday night, RCMP, along with the Woodstock Fire Department, responded to a single-vehicle accident along the Red Bridge Road, near McBride's Bridge.

Woodstock Fire Chief Rick Nicholson explained a half-ton truck travelled off the road and careened into a hydro pole. The pole then came to rest on top of the truck. Five occupants were in the truck at the time of the collision, and two passengers were transported to the URVH with injuries. He said one was released later while the other remains in hospital with back injuries.

Nicholson said the downed lines were still active when firefighters arrived on scene, and, with fuel still in the truck's tank, safety was a huge concern. Luckily no fuel leaked, he said, but the active lines still hampered rescue efforts.

"With the hydro line still charged, we had to use caution," the chief explained. "The minimum is 30 metres to stay away from down power lines. We had to be on standby for NB Power to ensure (the power lines) got properly disconnected."

RCMP are also still investigating the cause of the Red Bridge Road accident, said Sgt. Vautour, though alcohol does not appear to be a factor at this point.

Late Sunday night, the east-bound lanes of the Trans Canada Highway were turned into a fruit salad near the Meduxnekeag River bridge.

Nicholson said a tractor trailer, belonging to McConnell Transport and loaded with produce, veered off the road and rolled several times before coming to rest on its side in the medium between the lanes.

"There was all kinds of produce all over the highway," said Nicholson describing what he saw when he arrived on scene. "(The truck) was a total write-off."

Once on scene, the chief said he was informed by a witness the driver of the truck was trapped inside the rig.

While Nicholson said the Jaws of Life were not needed, firefighters had to tear the door off to get him out. The driver was taken to the URVH as a precautionary measure, said Nicholson, but was otherwise unhurt.

"He is a very fortunate driver," said Nicholson. "As of this morning (Monday) he was doing fine."

Vautour added the east-bound lanes of the highway remained closed until the early hours of Monday morning as the mess was cleaned up.