Driver Escapes Collision With Moose in Southern Aroostook

An Orono man escaped with minor injuries Saturday night when his pickup truck collided with a moose on Route 2A in southern Aroostook County.

Deputy Vance Palmer of the Aroostook County Sheriff's Office responded to the crash in Macwahoc Plantation around 9 p.m. The investigation determined that 41-year-old Victor Kauffman was traveling south on Route 2A when a moose stepped out of the right side ditch into the path of his 2001 Mazda B3000 pickup.

The moose struck the front right corner of the truck and rolled up into the windshield, according to Sheriff Darrell Crandall. Kauffman was wearing a seat belt and suffered only minor cuts and scrapes, Crandall said.

The vehicle, belonging to Kauffman Roofing of Orono, was towed from the crash site and is believed to be a total loss.