DURHAM

Two people sustained minor injuries in a four-car, chain-reaction collision Monday afternoon when a pickup truck plowed into a line of stopped traffic on Route 136. 

One person was treated and released. The other remains listed in good condition at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston, according to a hospital spokeswoman.

The accident occurred shortly after 11 a.m., about a quarter-mile south of Stackpole Road. Richard Barrett, 73, of Lunt Road in Brunswick, was traveling south in his 2006 GMC Sierra pickup when he was blinded by the sun and didn’t see traffic stopped ahead of him, according to Sgt. James Jakes of Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Department.

Barrett stomped on his brakes but couldn’t stop before rear-ending a 2004 Toyota SUV driven by Jeremy Jerschina, 22, of Jersey City, N.J., who was traveling with his wife and two other passengers. 

Two other vehicles, a 1999 Volkswagen Beetle driven by Travis Jorgensen, 29, of Bowdoin, and a 2003 Subaru Legacy, driven by Michael Duff, 43, of Auburn, also were damaged by the force of the impact.

At the time of collision, Jerschina and another passenger were out of the car, switching seats to change drivers. When Barrett’s truck hit the Toyota, the force of impact pushed the SUV forward and its open driver’s door slammed into Jerschina and knocked him to the ground, Jakes said.

Durham Rescue’s ambulances took Jerschina and one of his passengers, John Stiritz, 22, also of Jersey City, N.J., to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston.

Jerschina remains listed in good condition; Stiritz was treated and released.  

Several other people received minor wounds in the crash. They were assessed at the scene by Durham and Lisbon emergency personnel, but refused further treatment.

Three of the cars had to be towed from the scene. The fourth car, Duff’s Subaru, was “damaged but operable,” said Durham Fire Lt. Milton Simon, who was in charge of the accident scene. Duff, whose wife and two children were unhurt in the collision, was able to drive it away.

“The crash is still being investigated, but it doesn’t look like any charges will be filed,” Jakes said.