Rollover Accident Sends Family of Five to Hospital

The father of a family of five has been arrested after a dramatic car accident Thursday. The mother was driving, and so far no charges have been filed against her. But the father was charged after grabbing his youngest son and bolting from the hospital. Police are investigating.

According to the Penobscot Bay Pilot, a Jeep was operating erratically enough Thursday evening on Route 1 in Rockport that another motorist alerted police. Before officers could arrive, however, the vehicle hit a guardrail, then veered across the road, where it flipped tail over head several times.The Jeep stopped when it landed against a stand of trees. Police say all five people in the vehicle were injured.

Amanda Rankin, age 27 of Camden, was driving the Jeep when the accident occurred. So far, no charges have been filed, but are expected. However, when the family got to the Pen Bay Medical Center emergency room, her husband, 26-year-old Ben Rankin, grabbed his 6-month-old son and bolted from the building. He ran across Route 1 to a gas station, where they were found sometime later hiding behind a dumpster. Police arrested Rankin and took him to jail on a probation violation. The rest of the family was treated and released from the hospital.

Police are investigating to determine what caused the driver to veer off the road and the car to flip.