April 22--HOWLAND, Maine -- The Penobscot County Sheriff's Department's chief deputy suffered a head injury when his cruiser struck a moose on Lagrange Road in Howland early Saturday morning, Sheriff Glenn Ross said Sunday afternoon.
Chief Deputy Troy Morton's vehicle struck the moose shortly after midnight, according sheriff's Sgt. William Sheehan.
Ross said Morton struck his head on equipment in the vehicle during the crash. The air bags did not deploy.
"He's been hospitalized, but we're hopeful for a full recovery," Ross said.
A nursing supervisor at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor said Sunday evening that Morton had been treated at the hospital and released.
The impact broke the cruiser's windshield and tore off a side mirror, but damage was minor, according to Ross.
"I think it was a low-speed event," Ross said.
Ross said he believes the moose was able to wander away from the scene of the crash and that deputies did not go searching for it.
The Sheriff's Department was assisted at the scene by state police, Howland Rescue Services and Penobscot Valley Hospital ambulance service, Sheehan said.
Copyright 2012 - Bangor Daily News, Maine
