WATERVILLE — Two women were injured Thursday in a two-vehicle crash on Kennedy Memorial Drive that sent a small sedan crashing into Gagnon Chiropractic’s sign on the business’ lawn and flipping a sport utility onto its roof.
The crash, reported at 5:01 p.m. near the corner of Carver Street, destroyed both the 2016 Volkwagen Jetta and the 2013 Kia Sorrento.
The woman driving the Jetta was taken to Inland Hospital, complaining of pain in her left leg and ankle, as well as pain associated with a seatbelt, according to Waterville police Officer Matt Libby, who was at the scene.
The woman driving the Kia did not initially think she needed to go to the hospital, though she suffered an injury to her left arm, but later did go to Inland by private vehicle, Libby said. He said she was driving to work at the time of the crash.
He declined to release names of the drivers and said they were alone in the vehicles when the crash occurred. Both appeared to have been wearing seat belts, he said.
Libby said the crash occurred when the Jetta was traveling east on Kennedy Memorial Drive and was going to turn onto Carver Street north and the Kia was traveling west on Kennedy Memorial Drive in the right lane. Carver Street is on either side of Kennedy Memorial Drive, heading both north and south.
Another vehicle traveling west on Kennedy Memorial Drive in the left lane was turning left onto Carver Street south and apparently was blocking the Jetta driver’s view so she did not see the Kia, according to Libby.
The front of the Kia struck the right side, front passenger quarter panel of the Jetta, smashing the front of the Kia, and the Kia ended up on its roof, Libby said.
He said both vehicles appeared to be destroyed.
Steve Gagnon, who owns the chiropractic office at 143 Kennedy Memorial Drive, was treating a patient when they both heard the crash, he said. He looked out of the window and saw the Jetta crashed into his business sign and then he saw the Kia on its roof, he said.
Steve Gagnon, owner of Gagnon Chiropractic, talks abut the rollover accident that happened in the front yard of his business at 143 Kennedy Memorial Drive in Waterville Thursday. Morning Sentinel photo by Rich Abrahamson
“It’s one thing to see the car, but to see the other one upside down — that’s when we ran out,” Gagnon said.
He urged both women to stay in their vehicles until the ambulance arrived, he said. He said there have been other accidents in front of his office, which has been there more than 20 years, but a vehicle had never taken his sign out before.
Harland Weeks, 88, and Patrick D’Alonzo, 49, were chatting on Carver Street near Weeks’ house when they heard the crash, they said.
“It sounded like a bomb drop — kaboom,” Weeks said. “It jumped me right into the air. It’s sad, two almost brand new cars, stove ’em all to hell.”
Weeks for many years owned A.L. Weeks & Sons, a vehicle sales and auto body shop on Kennedy Memorial Drive.
D’Alonzo said he was shaken by the crash.
“My heart’s still vibrating from the impact,” D’Alonzo said. “The sound of the impact was of solid metals coming together. We just started coming over to see what happened.”
Shortly after the crash, people who live in the area were coming out of their houses to watch the goings on.
Both vehicles’ air bags had deployed and debris from them was strewn all over the road, lawn and sidewalk. Libby was talking to the driver of the Kia, who was sitting on Gagnon’s lawn with a bandage wrapped around her left wrist.
Waterville firefighters, a Delta Ambulance crew and a worker from Arbo’s Towing & Repair Service were at the scene.
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