2 Maine State Police cruisers struck in separate collisions [Video]

Two Maine State Police cruisers were struck in separate collisions early Friday morning while troopers responded to highway traffic incidents.

The first crash happened shortly after midnight, as a trooper was heading north on the Maine Turnpike in Lewiston, state police spokesperson Shannon Moss said in a statement. The trooper was responding to a crash in Gardiner with his vehicle’s emergency lights and sirens on.

A pickup truck driven by Javier Martinez, 24, of Waterville, swerved into the trooper’s lane, hitting the right side of the cruiser, Moss said. Martinez was summonsed on a charge of operating under the influence of alcohol and released pending a court hearing.

The second crash occurred right after another trooper got back into his cruiser following a traffic stop on Route 1 in Gouldsboro. His cruiser’s emergency lights were still flashing when the vechicle was sideswiped by a Jeep Grand Cherokee driven by Andrew …