News

Police won’t bring charges after monster truck accident injures several spectators

Police won’t bring charges after monster truck accident injures several spectators

Photo: 560 WGAN Newsradio, Associated Press


TOPSHAM, Maine (AP) — A police investigator concluded no criminal charges were warranted after a lobster-themed monster truck clipped a power line, causing some scary moments with live wires falling to the ground. Two people were taken to hospitals.

Several people were injured Saturday when utility poles snapped and a transformer tumbled to the ground at the Topsham Fairgrounds. Witnesses said some people were trapped in portable toilets, which had wires on them.

Topsham Police Sgt. Mark Gilliam wrote in a report released Thursday that the driver was trapped in the cockpit because of a live power line and another wire was draped over an injured man on the ground. The injured spectator, who suffered a fractured vertebra, was taken to a hospital along with a woman experiencing back pain, he wrote. Others sought treatment on their own.

The driver, Gregory Winchenbach, 51, of Jefferson, told police that his truck had bounced over the dirt ramp several times without incident but that on Saturday afternoon it snagged the power line over the course, Gilliam wrote. Winchenbach said he couldn’t see the wire from the cockpit of the custom-made monster truck, the investigator wrote.

The monster truck was shaped to look like a lobster and named the Crushstation, a play on the word crustacean. Neither the owners of the truck nor the promoter of the event returned messages seeking comment.

Latest Headlines

14 minutes ago in Local

Maine’s King Among Senators to Break Shutdown Deadlock

Fresh

The Senate voted 60-40 to move toward passing compromise legislation to fund the government

47 minutes ago in Local

Mills Slams Trump Administration’s Move to Block SNAP Benefits

Fresh

Mills made the statement Sunday after the Supreme Court late Friday temporarily blocked a lower court’s order for SNAP funding to be distributed.

5 hours ago in Local

Wells Police Investigate Rash of Overnight Vehicle Burglaries

Police are asking Wells residents and businesses in the area to review any available video footage.

6 hours ago in Local

Dixfield Sawmill Heavily Damaged by Fire

The Maine Fire Marshal's Office assisted with the investigation.

13 hours ago in Local

Democratic senate candidate Graham Platner hires new manager to run campaign

Deputy Director of the Maine People’s Alliance Ben Chin has been hired to replace Platner's short-lived campaign director Kevin Brown.