2 Injured in Truck Accident on Royalsborough Road in Durham, ME

Durham, ME — December 30, 2025, two people were injured in a truck accident at about noon in the 900 block of Royalsborough Road.

Authorities said an oil truck and a car collided south of Old Brunswick Road. The collision caused the oil truck to overturn, while the driver of the car ended up trapped in her vehicle.

The woman in the car was flown to an area hospital with unspecified injuries after being freed from her vehicle, according to authorities.

The truck driver was hospitalized with unspecified injuries, authorities said.

The truck was carrying about 2,500 gallons of UN-1993, a home heating oil, but none of it spilled, according to authorities.

Authorities have not released any additional information about the Androscoggin County crash at this time.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When people hear that a car collided with an oil truck and both drivers ended up in the hospital, they’re likely to ask: How does something like this happen? Who, if anyone, was in the wrong? And how can we know we’re getting the full story?

Those are exactly the right questions to ask. Unfortunately, based on what’s been publicly released so far, there are more unknowns than answers.

We know the crash happened around noon on Royalsborough Road and that the oil truck overturned. But what we don’t know is what led up to the collision. Did one of the vehicles cross the center line? Did either driver lose control? Was speed a factor? Those are basic facts, and yet they’re still unanswered.

Depending on whether the truck was in motion or stopped at the time of impact, different questions come into play. If it was moving, how fast was it going, and in what direction? If it was stopped, why? And if the truck driver was making a delivery, was the vehicle parked legally and in a safe location?

It’s also not clear who, if anyone, witnessed the crash. That’s important because witness accounts can help investigators understand how fast the vehicles were going, who had the right-of-way and how the crash unfolded.

Beyond eyewitnesses, the most reliable source of insight will be physical evidence, especially from the truck itself. These days, many commercial trucks have onboard cameras, both inward- and outward-facing. If this truck had those cameras, they could shed light on what the driver saw and did just before the crash.

Another critical source is the truck’s engine control module (ECM), often referred to as the “black box.” It can reveal vehicle speed, braking, throttle position and other performance data in the moments leading up to the collision.

Then there’s the question of the cargo: the truck was carrying roughly 2,500 gallons of home heating oil. That substance, classified as UN-1993, is flammable. Any crash involving that kind of cargo is inherently dangerous, especially if the tank is damaged or spills occur. Investigators should be looking closely at the design and integrity of the tanker, how it was loaded and whether it met all regulatory requirements for transporting hazardous materials.

And we can’t ignore the human element. Was either driver distracted? Using a phone? Fatigued? Investigators can’t answer those questions without phone records, driving logs and possibly even toxicology tests.

In my experience, the biggest mistake people make when thinking about truck accidents is assuming that it’s a simple matter of one driver’s error. But more often than not, these crashes are the result of multiple breakdowns, whether in hiring, training, supervision, vehicle maintenance or cargo handling. I’ve worked on cases where a driver’s poor record was overlooked during hiring, or where a company’s delivery schedule pressured drivers to cut corners.

So while it’s tempting to make quick judgments, the reality is this: accountability comes from evidence, and evidence takes work to gather. That includes inspecting the vehicles, analyzing data, interviewing witnesses and reviewing company practices behind the scenes.

Key Takeaways:

• It’s not yet clear what caused the collision between the oil truck and the car, and different scenarios raise different legal questions.
• Critical evidence includes dash cams, black box data, cell phone records and cargo inspection details.
• Investigators will need to examine whether driver behavior, vehicle condition or cargo issues played a role.
• The presence of hazardous materials (home heating oil) adds another layer of complexity to the crash investigation.
• Determining responsibility requires a full investigation, not just assumptions about who was driving what.