Fatal Wrong Way Driver Crash on I-95 in Maine Tuesday
According to the Maine Department of Public Safety, the Maine State Police started to receive calls about a wrong-way driver at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, December 31, 2024. The callers reported that the vehicle was driving northbound in the southbound lane of I-95 near mile marker 142 in Burnham.
Minutes later, as the Maine State Troopers were headed to intercept the vehicle, calls came in reporting a head-on crash
Investigators determined that Ivan Cunninghman, 82 of Corinna, was driving his 2013 Ford Focus northbound in the southbound lane before he struck a 2023 Ford F-150 being driven by Nathaniel Blanchard, 27 of Stetson, head-on.
The Maine State Police worked with the Maine Department of Transportation and quickly shut down I-95 southbound at exit 150, diverting traffic while rescue personnel responded.
Cunningham was pronounced dead at the scene. Blanchard, despite the severity of the crash, was flown by Life Flight to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor with injuries that were considered non-life-threatening.
This portion of I-95 was closed for approximately two hours while a State Police reconstruction team assisted Troop I with their investigation.