SKOWHEGAN — A 26-year-old woman and her four young children escaped serious injury Monday when the vehicle in which they were riding skidded on slippery Norridgewock Road and appeared to have rolled over into a ditch, hitting hard in a stand of trees and brush.

All of the children — ages 4, 3, 2 and four months —were in car seats or strapped in with safety belts, police and firefighters said.

“We’re happy to report that there were only minor injuries with that many children involved; that’s a real good thing,” Skowhegan Police Chief Ted Blais said. “Please take it real easy in the inclement weather.”

The accident was reported at 12:49 p.m. near Central Maine Christian Center at the Norridgewock town line.

The driver of the white 2006 Ford Freestyle van, a crossover vehicle much like an SUV, was Michelle Romero of Mercer, according to Blais. She is the mother of all four children, he said. She apparently lost control of the vehicle due to road conditions.

Romero was unable to get out of the vehicle immediately as Skowhegan police and fire department personnel arrived at the scene.

Advertisement

Firefighters got the children out and handed them to other firefighters who carried them up the embankment to a waiting ambulance — two of them still in car seats.

All five were taken to the hospital for observation. Romero suffered minor cuts and bruises. The vehicle had heavy front end damage.

No charges will be filed, Blais said. All five were treated at the hospital and released. Skowhegan police Officer Ian Shalit was the investigating officer.

Doug Harlow — 612-2367

dharlow@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @Doug_Harlow


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.