SIDNEY — A Smithfield man is being charged for having defective tires that police say were the cause of an accident Saturday afternoon on Belgrade Road.

David Beans, 59, was driving south around 3:45 p.m. on Belgrade Road, which is also Route 27, during a period of heavy rain when the Subaru he was driving hydroplaned, said Officer Breanne Petrini, of the Maine State Police.

“Two of the tires were bald,” Petrini said. “They had almost no tread.”

The hydroplaning caused Beans to cross into the northbound lane and hit another Subaru station wagon being driven by David Chesney, 68, of New Hampshire, Petrini said.

The force caused Chesney’s car to be pushed off the road, roll over and land on its roof, she said. Both drivers suffered minor injuries and were taken to MaineGeneral Medical Center in Augusta.

Eight-year-old Anthony Whittier said he saw the accident from a nearby house where he was attending a birthday party. “I was just watching the cars go by when I heard something that sounded like a branch falling,” he said.

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His grandfather, Ken Whittier, at first thought one of the drivers had crashed into his truck, which was parked alongside the road. He went out and said he saw Chesney trapped in the vehicle. He tried to open the door but had to wait until emergency personnel arrived to extricate him, he said.

“When he did get out, he was able to walk away,” Ken Whittier said. “It’s lucky the injuries weren’t more serious.”

Rachel Ohm — 612-2368

rohm@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @rachel_ohm


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