WATERVILLE — A man who was seriously injured during a March 18 six-car crash on College Avenue is expected to be discharged from the hospital today.

Karl Andresen, 69, of Winslow, suffered a cracked cervical vertebra, several broken ribs and a concussion when his Toyota Tacoma was struck by a SUV driven by Nancy Hazard, 42, of Waterville, according to his wife, JoAnn Andresen.

“He got the brunt of it, but surprisingly, God spared his life,” she said. “That could have been it for him.”

Andresen said her husband is wearing a neck brace, but doctors at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor expect he will make a full recovery.

“For a man that is 69, he is in wonderful shape, which helped him a lot,” she said. “He’s still very, very active.”

Andresen described her husband as a passionate teacher of Spanish at Winslow High School.

“He loves his kids. In fact, that’s one of the stops he wants to make. He wants to go to school for a few minutes (today). He’s just so gung ho.”

She added that her husband has taken the accident in stride.

“He doesn’t look at this as something that’s detrimental in his life,” she said. “He has a deeper appreciation for life, naturally, that God spared him. It’s just getting him to slow down and do what the doctor says.

“We’ve got to watch out that he doesn’t overdo it.”

Eyewitnesses at the crash scene estimated Hazard’s 2008 Suzuki SX4 was traveling at more than 70 mph when it struck four vehicles, including Andresen’s, that were waiting for the light to change on College Avenue. Another vehicle was pushed into the intersection during the pileup. Six people were injured.

On Monday, police questioned Hazard at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, but won’t release details until the investigation is complete, according to police Chief Joseph Massey.

The department plans to forward a complete report to the district attorney’s office, he said.

Ben McCanna — 861-9239

bmccanna@centralmaine.com