Ambulance driver sees wrong-way driver in Maine, turns around to block vehicle, state police say

An ambulance driver in Maine took quick action when they spotted a wrong-way driver on Interstate 295, state police said Monday.

Officials later learned that the driver, a 78-year-old woman from Westbrook, appeared to be having a medical event, state police said.

She was initially trying to get to Mercy Hospital, so Yarmouth Rescue, the ambulance that stopped to help, eventually took the woman to the hospital.

At 11:50 a.m. Monday, the Bangor Regional Communications Center started taking calls of a wrong-way driver going northbound in the southbound lanes of I-295 in the city of Portland between exits 7 and 8, state police said.

Troopers began responding to the area.

Yarmouth Rescue was traveling northbound at the time and saw the 2008 Chrysler PT Cruiser going the wrong way, state police said.

"The ambulance turned around to try to get the driver's attention. The driver positioned the ambulance at an angle on I-295 to block the wrong-way vehicle," state police said in a statement.

The driver of the wrong-way vehicle began backing up when she saw the ambulance had stopped up ahead of her. A trooper pulled up to the wrong-way vehicle with the police cruiser's emergency lights on, and the driver stopped, state police said.

The trooper was able to put the vehicle in park and get the keys.

Assisting on the scene were the MaineDOT and Portland Police Department.

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