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Maine ambulance crew stops wrong-way driver on interstate

The Yarmouth crew was able to position their ambulance and block the driver on I-295

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Town of Yarmouth Fire Rescue/Facebook

By Morgan Womack
Portland Press Herald

PORTLAND, Maine — An ambulance that noticed a wrong-way driver on Interstate 295 in Portland Monday morning helped stop the car and ended up taking the driver to the hospital when it appeared she was having a medical event.

Maine State Police are investigating the incident, which happened just before noon. The 78-year-old woman from Westbrook was driving a 2008 Chrysler PT Cruiser north in the southbound lanes between Exits 7 and 8.

A crew from Yarmouth Fire and Rescue that was traveling northbound saw the woman driving the wrong way and was able to turn around and position the ambulance at an angle to block her car. The woman began backing away from the ambulance, then stopped when a state police cruiser pulled up with its emergency lights on, a state police spokesperson said.

The trooper put the woman’s car into park and retrieved the keys. Yarmouth Rescue then brought her to Mercy Hospital, where she was initially trying to go.

The medical event was not life-threatening, state police said.

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