WOOLWICH

Two separate three-vehicle crashes that snarled traffic on Route 1 in Woolwich Friday afternoon sent four people to the hospital.

The first collision was reported at 12:24 p.m., and Sagadahoc County Sheriff ’s deputies responded to the collision at the intersection with Montsweag Road.

According to deputies, a 2016 Volvo tractor trailer driven by Raymond Lemon of Ware, Massachusetts, was southbound on Route 1, when it ran into the back of a 2015 Ford Focus. The Focus, driven by Megan Horne, 26, of Richmond, was waiting to make a left turn onto Montsewag Road. The collision pushed the car into the oncoming northbound lane, where it was struck by a 2015 Toyota SUV driven by Betty J. Yock, 73, of Wiscasset.

Horne suffered possible back and neck injuries and was transported to Maine Medical Center in Portland with non-life-threatening injuries. Her car was totaled.

Yock was transported to Mid Coast Hospital in Brunswick where she was treated for minor injuries and released. A 1-year-old boy in her vehicle was not injured.

The tractor trailer sustained front end damage, but Lemon was not injured.

Route 1 was closed for approximately an hour while traffic was diverted to other routes. That caused traffic to back up quickly, and shortly after the first crash, public safety personnel were called to another three-vehicle accident near the north end of Weston Road, about one-third of a mile from the first.

2nd crash

Sagadahoc County Sheriff Joel Merry said a 1990 Dodge pick-up truck driven by Forest Sidelinger, 51, of Jefferson, was traveling northbound when Sidelinger attempted to turn around and pulled directly in front of a 2016 Mercury Mariner driven by Robert Miller, 34, of Bath. The pick-up truck was pushed into a 2017 Ford Focus, driven by Sarah Stewart, 72, of Oakland, California.

Sidelinger was not injured. A passenger, his wife, Melissa Sidelinger, 55, suffered minor injuries but was not transported.

Miller was transported to Mid Coast Hospital with head and neck injuries. A passenger in his vehicle, Chaya Mattocks, 29, of Topsham, also suffered head and neck injuries and was also taken to Mid Coast Hospital. Both were later released.

Neither Stewart nor a passenger in the vehicle she was driving — Barbara Anne Stefl, of Oceanside, California — were injured.

The Focus had minor damaged and the other remaining vehicles sustained front-end damage.

“With the arrival of summer comes increased traffic,” Merry said. “It is vitally important that drivers pay close attention to the road and leave ample space between their vehicle and those in front of them. Always expect the unexpected.

“Unfortunately, all too often drivers become impatient and can make dangerous decisions,” he added. “We are thankful there were no serious injuries from today’s mishaps.”

Multiple agencies responded to the crash scenes to assist the sheriff ’s office, including Maine State Police, Bath police, Woolwich Fire and Rescue and Northeast Ambulance Service. The accidents were investigated by members of the Sagadahoc County Sheriff ’s Office.

Traffic in both directions on Route 1 resumed by 2 p.m.