Man seriously injured, dog killed after truck hauling 10 dogs crashes on Maine Turnpike

Shawn P. Sullivan, Portsmouth Herald
·2 min read
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OGUNQUIT, Maine — An out-of-state man is hospitalized with serious injuries, following a rollover crash of a truck hauling 10 dogs on the Maine Turnpike on Wednesday.

Jonah Hose, 23, of Baker, West Virginia, was brought to Portsmouth Regional Hospital after a 2021 Toyota Tacoma, in which he was a passenger, swerved into the middle lane, swiped a tractor-trailer, and rolled over, according to Maine State Police Spokesperson Shannon Moss.

The driver of the pickup truck, William Funkhouser, 38, also of Baker, West Virginia, had been traveling northbound on the turnpike when he fell asleep at the wheel, according to Moss. Funkhouser and the driver of the tractor-trailer were not injured in the incident.

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Hose, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was thrown from the vehicle, according to Moss.

The accident occurred at around 9:30 a.m. at Mile 14 in Ogunquit, just south of the Captain Thomas Road overpass.

While state troopers attended to the accident, first responders in Ogunquit had an emergency to address, as well: to find 9 hunting dogs that Funkhouser had been transporting in his truck at the time of the crash. The dogs fled the scene, according to Ogunquit Police Chief John Lizanecz.

An tenth dog died at the scene.

Eight of the dogs have been found, according to Lizanecz. Most were located in the general area of the crash, but two of them actually made it to the town's main beach, nearly two miles away.

A group of town officials – police and fire personnel, public works employees, and animal control officers – joined the search.

“We were lucky,” Lizaneca said.

Three of the dogs were injured and were brought to a local veterinary hospital for treatment, Lizanecz added.

One dog - named Whiskey - remained on the loose, as of Wednesday afternoon, according to Lizanecz.

Police and fire officials in Ogunquit, Maine, are asking people to keep an eye out for Whiskey, a hunting dog that fled the scene of a rollover accident on Route 95 on the morning of Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022.
Police and fire officials in Ogunquit, Maine, are asking people to keep an eye out for Whiskey, a hunting dog that fled the scene of a rollover accident on Route 95 on the morning of Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022.

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Lizanecz said he did not know Whiskey’s breed, but a picture posted on the Ogunquit Fire Department’s Facebook page shows a small-to-medium-sized canine with long, floppy ears and what appears to be black or gray and white fur.

Whiskey does have a telltale sign: a thin white strip atop his or her head. Also, if the picture is current, Whiskey also may have pink gauze wrapped around one of his or her legs.

Anyone who spots Whiskey is asked to call first responders at (207) 646-9361.

This Toyota pickup truck rolled over during a crash that happened on the Maine Turnpike in Ogunquit, Maine, on Sept. 14, 2022.
This Toyota pickup truck rolled over during a crash that happened on the Maine Turnpike in Ogunquit, Maine, on Sept. 14, 2022.

The crash remains under investigation, according to Moss. A stretch of Lane 3 on the turnpike was shut down while investigators reconstructed the crash but later reopened.

The article has been updated with a correction. The original version reported a number of dogs in the pickup truck that was incorrect.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Crash involving 11 dogs in Ogunquit: 1 dog killed, 1 still missing