Fatal crash on I-95 in Maine caused by bouncing tire – NECN

A motorist died Monday when a pickup truck’s blown tire crossed Interstate 95 and struck his car, Maine state police said.

A motorcyclist was also injured when a traffic jam occurred on I-95 South as a result of the accident, which occurred at about 11:30 a.m. near the Cumberland and Gray rest areas, police said.

The deceased driver was Justin Nsenga, a 49-year-old from Old Orchard Beach, police said. He was pronounced dead on the highway. It was initially unclear how he died.

Nsenga was driving south on I-95 when his Mercedes was struck by the tire, police said. The tire had come off the rear driver’s side of a GMC Sierra driven by 43-year-old Jean-Francois Chartrand of Saint-Hubert, Quebec, and bounced over the guardrail in the highway’s median.

According to police, Chartrand was traveling north in a camper trailer with four passengers on board. No one was injured and no charges have been filed against Chartrand.

It was not immediately clear what caused the tire to come off the pickup. Police asked anyone who witnessed the crash to call them at 207-624-7076 and ask for Trooper Tom Welch.

In the second crash, the motorcyclist, a 31-year-old from South Paris, suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Police said she was taken to Maine Medical Center.