Jackman boy, 5, killed when logging truck overturns into house

[Maine-ah]

JACKMAN, Maine — A 5-year-old boy was killed early Tuesday when a Canadian driver fell asleep at the wheel of a tractor-trailer truck and the vehicle flipped over and spilled its tree-length load of logs onto the house where the youngster was asleep on a couch, police said.

The boy, who died at the scene, was identified as Liam Mahaney.

Christian Cloutier, 57, of Quebec, had rounded a slight curve at about 2:30 a.m. on U.S. Route 201 when his vehicle struck two utility poles and the vehicle flipped onto its side, according to Lt. Carl Gottardi II of the Somerset County Sheriff’s Department. The southbound truck ended up against the house at 510 Main St. and the logs fell out, demolishing the first floor. The impact also caused the second floor of the building to collapse to the ground level, Gottardi said Tuesday.

When the accident occurred, there were six people inside the house: an adult, Mahaney and another child on the first floor and an adult and two children on the second floor, according to Gottardi. The other five occupants of the house were taken to the Jackman Health Center for treatment and all but one had been released as of late Tuesday afternoon. That person, Mahaney’s mother, was taken to Redington-Fairview General Hospital in Skowhegan with injuries that were not life-threatening, he said.

http://bangordailynews.com/2011/07/19/news/mid-maine/jackman-boy-5-killed-when-logging-truck-crashes-through-house/



:cry:

[WinkyDink]

1. Jackman is the only town for miles (IIRC), which makes this tragedy even freakier.

[Maine-ah]

2. it's one of the last towns

before hitting Canada. Apparently this particular road has had a problem with truckers going too fast for some time now. A tragedy, for sure, that could have been avoided. Poor little babe.