Pile Up

State Police say nine passenger vehicles , a wrecker and a tractor trailer truck were involved in a chain reaction crash on Interstate 95 in Pittsfield and Palmyra Friday night as freezing rain caught motorists by surprise.  The northbound lanes were closed for two hours as vehicles were towed from the scene and the roads were treated . 

The incident started when a vehicle skidded off the roadway into the median and a wrecker was called to the scene .  As troopers arrived the interstate became ice covered and as other vehicles entered the crash zone, they were unable to slow down and the secondary crashes blocked both northbound lanes.  Maine DOT was notified and Troopers closed I-95NB in Pittsfield by directing all northbound traffic off the interstate until the roadway could be treated.  Troopers escorted motorists from their crashed vehicles to the high embankment along the road for their safety as vehicles continued to crash.  One motorist had minor injuries and was checked by medical personnel at the scene.  Pittsfield Police assisted Troopers with closing the Interstate.  Freezing rain, the ice covered roadway and motorists going too fast for conditions all contributed to the crashes.