Ed Archer, 56, of Canaan was injured Thursday after his Toyota Rav 4 struck a guardrail and went into the woods. Photo courtesy of Skowhegan Police Department

SKOWHEGAN β€” A Canaan man was injured Thursday after his sport utility vehicle collided with a guardrail and ended up in nearby woods.

Skowhegan Police Chief David Bucknam said in an email Thursday evening that at approximately 1 p.m. crews responded to the report of a motor vehicle accident on U.S. Route 2, near the Skowhegan and Canaan town line close to the entrance of Lake George Regional Park East.

Bucknam identified the driver as Ed Archer, 56, of Canaan. Archer was apparently heading to Skowhegan in a blue 2013 Toyota RAV4 when his vehicle struck a guardrail, left the roadway and crashed through the woods. The posted speed limit is 55 mph.

β€œIt is unknown why the vehicle left the road as there were no skid marks indicating it was traveling too fast or swerved to avoid an object,” Bucknam said.

Detective Michael Bachelder and Officer Stefanie Jones are investigating the crash.

Archer was injured and transported to Maine Medical Center in Portland. Bucknam did not have details on what injuries Archer sustained or what condition he was in by late Thursday evening, but believed him to be critical.

Route 2 was down to single-lane traffic as crews worked at the scene on Thursday.

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