A Waterville man was arrested Monday after crashing his vehicle into a ditch Monday while attempting to pass another vehicle by using the median on the Maine Turnpike in Gray, officials said.

The driver, identified as 39-year-old Robert Padilla, was traveling south in the far left lane of the turnpike around 1:24 p.m., when he attempted to use the median to pass the vehicle in front of him, Department of Public Safety spokesperson Shannon Moss said in a statement Monday evening.

Padilla drove “off the road and into the grass” before attempting to reenter the passing lane, Moss said. As he attempted to get back onto the road, Padilla’s Ford 150 clipped the GMC 1500 he was attempting to pass, Moss said.

After clipping the other vehicle, Padilla drove off the road and into a ditch near mile marker 56, south of the New Gloucester tolls. After stopping, Padilla fled the truck, ran back and forth across the northbound and southbound lanes, and then ran into the woods.

“A K-9 team from the Cumberland County Sherrif’s Office arrived and located Padilla after a quick track,” Moss said.

Moss said she did not know how fast either vehicle was traveling or why Padilla attempted to pass in the median instead of the other lanes. She said the crash remains under investigation.

The driver of the GMC suffered minor injuries, and Padilla was transported to a hospital to be evaluated, police said. Charges against Padilla are pending.