NORTH WATERBORO – A 17-year-old Waterboro youth was taken by helicopter to Maine Medical Center in Portland Tuesday night after his vehicle crashed on New Dam Road in Waterboro and caught fire.

York County Sheriff William L, King Jr., said Dylan Tardif of North Waterboro is being treated for non-life threatening injuries. Late Wednesday afternoon, King said there was no update on Tardif’s condition.

The teen was rescued from the 2009 Chevrolet pick-up truck, which had caught fire, by York County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Kevin Collins, the sheriff said.

Collins had been traveling on New Dam Road about 9:30 p.m. when he saw the pick-up truck approach him from the opposite direction, heading toward Limerick at what King described as a high rate of speed, in excess of the 35 mph limit.

“Collins activated his blue lights and initiated a three-point turn,” said King in a statement issued Wednesday afternoon. “After completing the turn, the deputy no longer observed the truck and deactivated his emergency lights and proceeded on New Dam Road with the regular flow of traffic.”

After traveling about half a mile, King said, Collins found several vehicles had stopped on the side of the road and saw that  the truck he had observed traveling at a high rate of speed had crashed into a tree.

Collins found the teen semi-conscious and was able to rouse him, the sheriff said, but before rescue personnel arrived, the truck caught fire, prompting Collins to pull Tardif to safety.

The teen was alone in the vehicle, King said.

“Our thoughts are with Dylan for a speedy recovery,” the sheriff said.

The roadway was blocked for about 2 1/2 hours.

Maine State Police Trooper Benjamin Hanzdel is handling the investigation, King said.

In a social media posting on the York County Sheriff’s Office -Maine Facebook page, King asked that anyone witnessing the crash or the subsequent rescue to message the agency or call the Sheriff’s Office at 324-1113 and ask to speak to someone on the command staff.

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 780-9016 or twells@journaltribune.com.

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