DEDHAM, Maine An Orono man who escaped a rollover accident with only minor injuries Monday morning was reaching for his cellphone when he went off the road, according to state police. <\/p>\n
Police issued a summons to Jacob Moores, 21, on a charge of failure to maintain control of a motor vehicle. Moores was transported to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor with minor injuries. <\/p>\n
Moores was driving south on Bald Mountain Road in Dedham around 11:30 a.m. when his vehicle left the road and rolled over, said Trooper Mike Southard. Moores blue Ford Ranger was totaled, Southard said. <\/p>\n
He said he was reaching for his phone, Southard said. This crash could have been avoided had he not been doing that, and thats why he was summonsed. <\/p>\n
Southard said distracted driving is a top cause for single-vehicle accidents. Earlier this year, Maine passed a law to crack down on texting while driving. Moores crashed before he even had the cellphone in his hand, Southard said. <\/p>\n
We see it too much, Southard said of distracted driving. Folks are gonna start being summonsed for it if it causes a crash. Were trying to send a message that this kind of behavior is unacceptable. Its caused a lot of accidents. <\/p>\n
Southard said Moores faces a $119 fine for the traffic infraction, but said he could have been facing much more dire consequences. <\/p>\n
His seat belt saved his life today, no question about it, the trooper said. <\/p>\n
Follow Mario Moretto on Twitter at @riocarmine. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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Orono man totals pickup while reaching for cellphone<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" DEDHAM, Maine An Orono man who escaped a rollover accident with only minor injuries Monday morning was reaching for his cellphone when he went off the road, according to state police. Continue reading