Driver Charged with OUI, Using Cell Phone in Littleton Crash

Maine State Police have charged a man in connection with a two-vehicle crash on Route 1 in Littleton Saturday evening that injured a Houlton woman.

Police say 28-year-old Chelsea McKay was driving north in her 2017 Nissan Rogue shortly before 7:00 p.m. and was slowing in traffic as a potato truck was making a left turn. McKay said she could see a pickup coming up behind her but before she could take any evasive action, the truck struck the back of her SUV, according to Corporal Dennis Quint.

That section of Route 1 is currently under construction and the driving portion of the lane has been milled.

The driver of the pickup, 35-year-old Paul Brady of Monticello, told police he had received a text message to his phone and had looked at the message. When Brady looked up, he saw the SUV stopping in the travel lane but couldn't brake in time to avoid a collision, Quint said.

McKay was transported by ambulance to the Houlton Regional Hospital with a possible fracture in her back. Her passenger sustained minor injuries in the crash. Brady was not injured, police say.

Brady was taken to the Aroostook County Jail and charged with OUI. He also received a summons for using a hand-held device while driving. He was released on $250 bail.

Littleton Fire Department and Houlton Ambulance responded to the accident scene.