Bill Trotter
Bangor Daily News, Maine
(TNS)
Oct. 1—A vehicle struck and killed a flagger controlling traffic on Route 1 in Orland on Tuesday morning, according to officials.
The Orland Fire Department posted a statement on Facebook offering condolences “to the family, friends and coworkers of the deceased individual, and those who responded and worked the scene.”
A dispatcher with the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department confirmed that the worker was struck, but did not provide any other details. The sheriff’s department did not immediately respond Tuesday morning to a request for comment.
Paul Merrill, spokesperson for Maine Department of Transportation, said Tuesday that a flagger had been struck but that he did not have additional information about what happened. The person struck was a contracted flagger working for Project Flagging, he said.
The company, based in Brunswick, provides traffic control services in Maine and New Hampshire, according to its website. A company official didn’t immediately respond to a request for information.
The company confirmed Tuesday one of its employees died in the accident. It did not release the name of the employee.
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of one of our valued employees, who passed away following an incident at the jobsite,” Project Flagging said in a statement. “Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences go out to our employee’s family, friends, and colleagues during this incredibly difficult time.”
The highway was closed Tuesday morning for about two and a half hours while sheriff’s deputies and other first responders were on the scene. It was reopened again at around 9:30 a.m., according to the Orland Fire Department.
LifeFlight, which provides emergency helicopter transportation for medical patients, was unavailable to respond, the department said.
Department officials thanked passing motorists who were cooperative with firefighters as they came upon the scene.
“To those who reacted with anger, frustration, various hand gestures or simply tried to proceed through the cones and barricades around us, take a breath,” they posted on Facebook. “Your day will go on despite the slight delay of a detour. Nobody wanted to be doing this today.”
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