The off-duty Monmouth police officer seriously injured in a Monday evening collision has been identified.
Lt. Dana Wessling, 52, of Turner was driving his take-home cruiser, a black 2022 Ford Interceptor, west on Turner Center Road in Turner about 4:49 p.m. when he collided with an eastbound silver 2014 Ford F-150 pickup truck that had crossed the centerline at a curve near the intersection with Bradford Road, according to the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office.
Rescuers had to extricate Wessling from his cruiser before taking him to a nearby landing zone where he was airlifted to Maine Medical Center in Portland. He suffered serious injuries in the crash, but they aren’t considered life-threatening, the sheriff’s office said Tuesday.
His 7-year-old son, who had just been picked up from day care on Wessling’s way home, was taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure, according to the sheriff’s office.
The Ford’s driver, 41-year-old Sean McNeil of Minot, and his passenger, a 47-year-old woman from Turner, were taken to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston, where they were treated for serious but not life-threatening injuries.
Both vehicles are considered totaled.
The crash remains under investigation.
No additional information was immediately available.