Staff reports 7:12 a.m.
Thursday, September 15, 2022 7:13 am
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OGUNQUIT, Maine - The driver of a pickup truck carrying a cage loaded with dogs fell asleep at the wheel on Wednesday, causing his vehicle to sideswipe a tractor trailer and then roll over several times, police say.
The crash occurred around 9:30 a.m. near mile marker 14 northbound in Ogunquit when state police say William Funkhouser, 38, of Baker, W.V., was driving a 2021 Toyota Tacoma northbound on the Turnpike when he fell asleep and swerved his pickup truck into the middle lane swiping a tractor-trailer.
The crash caused the pickup truck to roll over several times. A passenger in the pickup truck, 23-year-old Jonah Hose, also of Baker, was ejected from the vehicle. He was not wearing a seat belt. Hose suffered serious injuries and was transported to a Portsmouth Regional Hospital.
Funkhouser and the driver of the tractor-trailer were not injured. At the time of the crash, Funkhouser was transporting 10 dogs in a steel cage in the back of the pickup truck.
One dog was found deceased at the scene, and another dog was taken to a vet for treatment. The rest of the dogs have been reunited with the driver of the pickup.
The crash remains under investigation.