Police say dozing driver led to fiery Kittery crash of semi carrying bottled water

Firefighters pour water on a fully engulfed tractor trailer in the town of Kittery, Maine, early Sunday morning. (Maine Dept. of Safety photo)

KITTERY, Maine - A tractor trailer carrying a load of Poland Spring water crashed and caught fire on Interstate 95 when its driver fell asleep early Sunday.

Police say the driver, Eric Morris, 65, of Portland, Maine, fell asleep and drove off the roadway around 4:10 a.m., striking the guardrail in the area of mile marker 1.5 southbound.

Morris was driving a tractor trailer unit that was hauling bottles of Poland Spring Water. The tractor trailer rolled over into the center median guardrail before becoming fully engulfed.

Morris was able to get out of the truck on his own. He was transported to Portsmouth Regional Hospital with what were described as nonlife threatening injuries.

Maine State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit (CVEU), Kittery Fire Department, and Stewarts Ambulance Service responded. All southbound lanes from mile marker 7 in York were down for several hours.