Dogs Run Away After Crash on Maine Turnpike
One dog is dead, one missing, and eight recovered after the pickup truck they were traveling in sideswiped a tractor trailer and rolled over several times on the Maine Turnpike Wednesday morning.
Maine State Police spokeswoman Shannon Moss said the 2021 Toyota Tacoma pickup was traveling northbound in Ogunquit when the driver, William Funkhouser, 38, of Baker, West Virginia, fell asleep at the wheel around 9:30 a.m. The pickup swerved into the path of a tractor truck and ejected passenger Jonah Hose, 23, also of Baker.
Hose was not wearing a seatbelt, and was taken to Portsmouth Regional Hospital for treatment of serious injuries.
Dogs Run Several Miles From Crash Scene
A cage with 10 beagle hunting dogs in a steel cage in the back of the pickup was opened by the impact, setting the dogs free. One dog died at the scene, and another named Whiskey had not yet been recovered as of 4 p.m. Wednesday afternoon, according to the Ogunquit Fire Department.
Moss said some of the dogs were found along Route 1 in Ogunquit and Wells. Ogunquit Police said some were on the beach and dunes.
One was taken to a vet to be checked over, while the remaining dogs were returned to their owner.
A pug named Nova that ran from a car after a crash on Interstate 95 in Seabrook before Labor Day was found safe several days later.
Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNH