A 33-year-old man from Windham was killed Monday morning on Route 302 when the pickup truck he was driving veered into oncoming traffic, striking a trailer carrying construction equipment, Windham police said.
Joshua R. Greenwood was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. Fire and EMS crews were called to the accident about 8:30 a.m. at 932 Roosevelt Trail near the Seacoast Fun Park, said Windham Police Chief Kevin Schofield.
Greenwood was traveling west when his maroon 2005 Ford pickup crossed the centerline of the two-lane road and struck a trailer being towed by a dump truck. The dump truck then collided with 2010 Honda. There were no passengers in any of the vehicles.
It was still unclear how fast Greenwood was traveling at the time of the accident, why his truck crossed the centerline or whether he was wearing his seat belt at the time of the crash, said Windham Police Lt. Jim Boudreau.
The speed limit along that portion of the road is 40 mph. The accident is being reconstructed by Windham officers, and the investigation remained ongoing Monday afternoon. No citations had been issued, Boudreau said.
The busy road was closed for more than three hours as officers reconstructed the accident, and reopened about 12:15 p.m., according to a Cumberland County official.
A public version of Greenwood’s driving record showed multiple infractions, starting in 2003 when his license was revoked for three months after he was found driving under the influence of alcohol.
A year later, his license was revoked for six years after he was found to be a habitual offender. He was eligible to have the license restored in 2010, but he did not regain driving privileges until 2012 because he was found to have continued to drive after his revocation.
In 2013, Greenwood had an accident in Gorham, and in 2014 he was convicted of failing to maintain control of his vehicle, failure to produce evidence of insurance, and failure to display a valid inspection sticker. Last year he was cited for not wearing a seat belt.
Route 302 – also known as Roosevelt Trail – carries about 22,200 cars per day in that area, according to a 2013 traffic count by the Maine Department of Transportation, the most recent data available.
Between 2011 and 2015, there were three fatal car crashes on Route 302 out of 840 total traffic incidents, according to the state Department of Transportation and the Bureau of Highway Safety, which both collect information about car crashes and road safety.
Before Monday’s crash, the most recent fatality was in 2014. Before that, there were two traffic deaths reported in 2011, according to the data.
So far this year, 45 people have died on Maine roads, according to the state. In 2015, a total of 155 were killed.
The Maine DOT plans to install centerline rumble strips on portions of Route 302 this year as part of an ongoing project to lower the number of fatal head-on collisions, which rank among the biggest road safety issues in the state.
Matt Byrne can be contacted at 791-6303 or at:
mbyrne@pressherald.com
Twitter: MattByrnePPH
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