WATERVILLE — A bicyclist was injured after he collided with a van and was trapped underneath it at the intersection of Main Street and Armory Drive Wednesday morning.
It was the third reported collision between a bicycle and a vehicle in the city in the last month.
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Waterville Police Chief Joseph Massey said Matthew Grover, 29, of Waterville, rode his bike in front a white GMC van attempting to turn left from Elm Plaza toward the Interstate 95 ramps around 8 a.m. when he was struck.
Grover was riding on the wrong side of the road and was struck by the front of the van, Massey said. Grover and his bike were pinned under the van.
“We happened to have several officers close to the area when the accident happened,” Massey said. “They used the car jack from the cruiser to lift the van. The victim underneath was saying he couldn’t breathe. It was pretty chaotic with the traffic.”
Grover was conscious and alert when first responders arrived, Massey said, but had several deep cuts on his legs. He was not wearing a helmet.
Massey said he was dragged about 20 feet before the van stopped. He was taken by Delta Ambulance to Thayer Center for Health before being taken by LifeFlight helicopter to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor.
“He was wearing shorts and flipflops and was dragged under the van,” Massey said. “It appeared his injuries were serious.”
Massey said the accident is under investigation and is being reconstructed by the Maine State Police, however, no charges are anticipated against the van’s driver, Donald Paradis, 67, of Winslow.
“At this point, there doesn’t seem to be any inappropriate driving,” Massey said, adding that the van had a green light to turn.
Traffic going east on Main Street was diverted through Elm Plaza, while westbound traffic was moved to one lane at the intersection.
The accident was the third of its kind in the last several weeks, according to Massey, including one near the Dunkin’ Donuts on College Avenue and another on Drummond Avenue near the entrance of George J. Mitchell school on Monday. Massey said in all three accidents, the bicyclist was riding on the wrong side of the road.
Massey said Wednesday’s accident was the most serious of the recent ones, adding that bicyclists should obey traffic laws just as vehicles do.
“Bicyclists just need to know they need to go with traffic,” he said. “When a bicyclist collides with a car, the potential for serious injury or death is great. These three accidents should make people aware.”
Jesse Scardina — 861-9239
Twitter: @jessescardina
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