FAIRFIELD — Two pickup trucks collided head on in a 55-mph stretch of Skowhegan Road early Thursday morning, sending the drivers of both vehicles to the hospital.

The road was closed for more than three hours as rescue workers used an extrication tool to remove the drivers from the trucks.

Neither vehicle had passengers.

Daniel Dickey, 37, of Madison, was taken by ambulance to Redington-Fairview Hospital in Skowhegan after rescue workers took him from his Toyota Tacoma, according to Sgt. Paul St. Amand of the Fairfield Police Department. St. Amand said Dickey is in stable condition.

Justin Merry, 31, of Newmarket, N.H., was taken by helicopter to Bangor with serious leg injuries after he was removed from his Ford F-150 pickup, which was partly off the road, St. Amand said

State police first were notified of the crash by an automated reporting system in one of the two vehicles; moments later, a passer-by stopped and called police, St. Amand said.

Officer Casey Dugas, first on the scene, found Merry pinned in his truck, which was partly off the road with a “substantially compromised” passenger compartment, according to St. Amand.

The crash happened at 5:15 a.m. just north of Kennebec Street.

Officers didn’t reopen the road and clear the crash scene until 8:30 a.m., he said.

Waterville Fire-Rescue helped to pry the men out of their respective vehicles, because each department has only one extrication tool, St. Amand said.

St. Amand said the vehicles’ speed has not been determined, but police think Dickey, who was traveling south, crossed over the center line.

Police are investigating the accident and have not determined whether they will bring criminal charges against either driver, he said.

The weather was clear and driving conditions were not a factor in the crash, according to St. Amand.

Matt Hongoltz-Hetling — 861-9287
mhhetling@centralmaine.com