News Briefs

In Maine, don’t linger on the front porch

David Luxton awoke to the sound of shattering glass as a car smashed into his porch during the night. Less than 48 hours later, another car knocked his porch off its foundation.

All told, vehicles careening out of control on a curve on U.S. 2 in Bethel, Maine, have damaged Luxton’s house four times since 1975, he said. That doesn’t include vehicles that ended up on his property but missed the house.

Motorists are traveling downhill when they enter the curve. Cars sometimes spin toward his house; large trucks tend to crash into the guardrail and topple over, away from the house. Over the years, those have included a tractor-trailer loaded with beer, logging trucks, and a car carrier loaded with pickup trucks.

Maine officials plan to move the highway 60 feet farther from the house and reshape the curve this summer, he said. But Luxton will keep the porch, just to be safe. “In a way, it’s my safety barrier,” Luxton said.