CARIBOU, Maine — A Caribou firefighter died Thursday afternoon in a crash on Route 1.
Daniel “Danny” Raymond, 57, of Caribou was traveling south in his 2004 Pontiac Vibe when a 2017 Freightliner box truck driven by Vincent Smith of Wamego, Kansas, swerved into the southbound lane and struck Raymond’s car, according to Caribou Police Chief Michael Gahagan.
Smith, 37, lost control of his truck at around 2:10 p.m. while traveling north during heavy snowfall, Gahagan said. Both vehicles crashed into the roadside ditch.
Police pronounced Raymond dead at the scene.
Smith was transported to Cary Medical Center in Caribou and later released without injuries, police said.
Route 1 was temporarily closed Friday afternoon following the crash but has since been reopened.
Caribou Fire Chief Scott Susi and his crew released a Facebook statement Friday morning about Raymond, who had been a firefighter with the department for nearly 28 years and a captain for seven.
“Our department, the city of Caribou and the entire surrounding area as a whole, has suffered a great loss,” Susi said. “We ask members of the public to respect his and other affected family members’ privacy at this time.”
The National Weather Service also released a statement Friday about Raymond, who worked as a custodian at the weather service station in Caribou.
“He was always here with a smile and a joke and was well liked by everyone on the staff. We will miss him, and we keep his family and his team members in our thoughts,” weather service staff said in the post.
Caribou police continue to investigate the crash.
