A section of Route 17 in Central Maine was closed for more than eight hours on Monday following a deadly collision between a propane truck and an SUV.
"I heard the truck hit the ground and saw smoke, so I ran down," said Charles Givens of Fayette.
Trapped inside the SUV was a wife and mother of three from Livermore.
"We had a Downeast tanker lose control on a section of icy road and it rolled over onto her car," said Marty Maxwell, Fayette Fire Chief.
Firefighters from seven communities responded to the chaotic scene along with a LifeFlight helicopter.
"The SUV was just crushed," said Givens. "The motor was sitting on the ground and the roof and dashboard were holding her down."
Diane Gould, 45 was extricated from her vehicle and died en route to the hospital.
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The truck driver, Alan Cheney, 52, had only minor injuries to his shoulder. His tanker, flipped on its side was leaking fuel.
Route 17, which is the main road through Fayette, was closed for most of the day to offload the fuel from the damaged truck and contain the leaking fuel.
As a precaution, the two families living closest to the crash on Clark Lane were evacuated to nearby Fayette Central School.
It's unclear whether the truck driver will face charges.
Maine State Police were on the scene performing an accident reconstruction. They'll also inspect the truck for possible mechanical failure.
The Kennebec County Sheriff's Department says ice and driving too fast for conditions are the likely causes.
Gould was a wife, mother of three school aged boys, and a former school board member.
