Police say a man was charged with operating under the influence of drugs after the tractor-trailer he was operating crashed on the Maine Turnpike.
The truck, which was hauling a load of Cheez-Its and Pop-Tarts, crashed at Mile 115 northbound in Augusta at approximately 7:51 a.m. Friday.
The tractor-trailer went off the right side of the road, struck the rock ledges, rolled onto its side and came to rest with the cab partially in the right lane.
The driver, Miles McIntyre, 61, of Wildomar, California, suffered minor injuries and was treated at a local hospital.
The preliminary investigation suggests that the crash was caused by extreme driver fatigue, the Maine Dept. of Public Safety said in a press release.
Narcotic evidence was recovered and seized by troopers, and a Maine state police drug recognition expert evaluated the driver, the release said.
The operator was deemed impaired and unsafe to operate a motor vehicle.
In addition to OUI, the driver was charged with driving to endanger and unlawful possession of methamphetamine.
The Maine Dept. of Transportation opened emergency routes to divert northbound I-95 traffic off at Exit 113 and onto Route 104 so crews could clean up.
Traffic was reduced to one lane for three hours and completely shut down for about an hour.
