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The Lebanon Rescue Department, Maine State Police and Lebanon Fire Department responded to a van that struck a moose on Monday evening, June 14th, 2010.

The accident was reported around 9:13pm. The accident was reported by the passenger of the vehicle, who is a volunteer with Lebanon Rescue and Lebanon Fire and used his radio to call it in. The driver is also a volunteer with the Lebanon Fire Department.

Rescue crews arrived on scene within 2 minutes of the call and located a Ford Windstar van in the westbound lane with extensive damage. Both occupants were transported to Goodall Hospital in Sanford with what appeared to be non-life threatening injuries. The van was traveling west bound when the moose came out and the driver could not stop in time. The moose hit the drivers front of the vehicle and then rolled up onto the hood and then into the glass. It appears the moose hit the top frame of the vehicle and that helped it from coming down onto the two occupants of the vehicle. Both occupants were very lucky as the moose was about 700 pounds and was within inches of landing inside the van on top of them.

The van was destroyed in the accident and was towed from the scene. Both occupants of the vehicle were wearing seatbelts at the time of the crash.

The moose was killed during the collision.

We usually respond to several vehicle verse moose accidents a year. There have been quite a few moose spotted over the past few weeks and unlike deer, they are much harder to see at night due to their dark fur and they sit high. Most moose accidents occur at night when the moose is more active and its much harder to see the moose at night. There have been sightings of moose on several side Lebanon roads as well as Carl Broggi Highway, so we urge motorists to slow down and be extra careful.

Emergency crews cleared the scene around 10:15pm. Maine State Police is investigating the accident.