61-year-old DOT Worker Injured after Crash on I-95

Cumberland, ME (WorkersCompensation.com) – A 61-year-old Maine highway worker was injured when a driver allegedly fell asleep at the wheel.

The on-the-job injury was just one of several over the past few weeks.

According to the Maine Department of Public Safety, 61-year-old Robert Brown, of Poland, Maine, was working for the Maine Turnpike Authority on Friday, April 3, when he was hit on I-95 near mile marker 57. Officials said Brown had just gotten back into a GMC pickup truck, owned by the Maine Turnpike Authority, after cleaning up some roadway debris. The truck was parked on the side of the road with its flashing lights on.

As he was getting ready to drive away, the truck was struck by Eric Sullivan, 26, of Lewiston. Lewiston was driving a white 2023 Toyota Corolla when he fell asleep and rear-ended the pickup truck parked in the breakdown lane. Shannon Moss, spokesperson for the Turnpike Authority, said the crash sent the pickup truck into the ditch, while the sedan came to a stop on the highway causing traffic to back up.

Brown was taken to Maine Medical Center in Poland, and treated for minor injuries. Sullivan was not injured.

Officials said Sullivan was cited for driving to endanger and other unspecified motor vehicle violations. Officials said the crash remains under investigation.

In Hunt Valley, MD, four employees were injured on the job in a machinery malfunction incident at McCormick and Company.

According to fire officials in Hunt Valley, the employees were injured on April 6 at the spice and flavoring factory. Baltimore County Fire Department officials said they responded to the plant around 1:35 p.m. and upon arrival found that a mechanical failure had resulted in injuries to several workers. The incident required the fire department to call in the hazardous materials team.

Officials said one employee sustained serious injuries and was flown to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, and that three other employees suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Those three employees were transported to nearby hospitals by ambulance.

Hazmat teams stayed at the site throughout the afternoon to evaluate the scene, but no specific information was released about the nature of the materials involved. Fire officials said the community faced no ongoing threats.

The company said investigators stayed at the scene for several hours to investigate what caused the machinery malfunction. McCormick and Company’s headquarters and a major processing facility are located in the Hunt Valley area.

“The health and safety of our employees is our #1 priority," the company said in a statement.

According to the company, all employees at the plant were evacuated and operations were cleared to restart that same evening.

In Beaumont, Texas, a city employee was injured in a workplace incident.

According to a press release from the city, the employee was injured while working at the Streets and Drainage yard. Officials said the incident occurred while the employee was getting a striping machine ready for road work. The injury involved a steam release, the city said.

“The City is reviewing the circumstances surrounding the incident, and the safety of all employees remains a top priority,” the city said in the release. “Our thoughts are with the employee and his family, and we ask that you keep him in your thoughts as he recovers.”

In Washington, D.C., two workers were seriously injured after an elevated lift overturned.

D.C. Fire and EMS said the two workers were thrown out of the lift when it overturned at a construction site on 16th street and Aspen street NW in Northwest D.C. Both were taken to a nearby hospital for “traumatic injuries,” officials said.

And in McKenzie County, N.D., three workers were injured after a rig they were working on tipped over.

The McKenzie County Sheriff’s Office said deputies were dispatched to the Continental Resources OW Durham 6‑2H1 well site near 36^th Street and 127^th Avenue on April 7 for a medical emergency.

When officers from the Sheriff’s office, as well as first responders from the Watford City Fire and Ambulance responded, they found a workover rig tipped over. Workover rigs are often used for well maintenance and for improving access to oil or gas, or sealing off a depleted well. No details about the injuries were provided, but officials stated there was no fire.

An investigation into the incident continues.

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