Maine Trooper Injured After Cruiser Struck on I-95 Bridge

A Maine State Trooper was taken to the hospital early Wednesday morning after his cruiser was struck by a pickup truck on the Piscataqua River Bridge on Interstate 95.

State Police from Maine and New Hampshire were assisting concrete contractor SPS New England in setting up a lane closure for a construction project on the bridge, according to Maine Public Safety spokesperson Shannon Moss.

Construction workers and the Troopers were in the left northbound lane of the bridge in Portsmouth, N.H. not far from the Maine state line where the lane closure was going to be set up, Moss said.

Shortly after 6:30 a.m., 31-year-old Sean McInnis of Merrimack, N.H., who was driving a silver Ford 150,  rear-ended a fully marked cruiser parked in the construction zone with its emergency lights activated.

A trooper inside the cruiser, 43-year-old Thomas Welch suffered “non-life threatening injuries” and was transported by ambulance to a hospital in New Hampshire. McInnis and two other people in his vehicle were not injured in the crash, Moss stated.

Traffic between the two states was backed up into New Hampshire until the crash site could be cleared later in the morning.

New Hampshire State Police is investigating the crash.

State law requires drivers to “Move Over and Slow Down” when approaching stopped emergency vehicles with flashing lights activated. 

The Maine State Police and the Bureau of Highway Safety reminds drivers to put safety first. One of the most dangerous parts of an emergency responders’ job is stepping out on the side of the road, whether it is for a traffic stop, to assist a motorist or to investigate a crash.