A 23-year-old Winterport man was seriously injured Tuesday when his SUV was hit by a tractor-trailer on Interstate 95 in Plymouth as he slowed to illegally use a crossover from the southbound lanes of I-95 to the northbound, according to the Maine Department of Public Safety. Maine State Police photo

PLYMOUTH — A Winterport man was seriously injured Tuesday when his SUV was hit by a tractor-trailer as he slowed on Interstate 95 in Plymouth to illegally use a crossover to get from the southbound to the northbound lanes, according to officials.

Nicholas Johnson, 23, veered into the path of the southbound tractor-trailer at about 2:45 p.m. as he attempted to use the crossover, according to Shannon Moss, spokesperson for the Maine Department of Public Safety.

The tractor-trailer hit the SUV broadside and pushed it off the roadway.

Johnson was trapped inside the SUV when Plymouth and Newport firefighters arrived, Moss said.

Johnson was “conscious at the scene, but sustained serious injuries,” Moss wrote in a statement released to the news media. He was taken to Northern Light Sebasticook Valley Hospital in Pittsfield.

It was not clear Wednesday if Johnson was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash. He was later released from the hospital.

The driver of the tractor-trailer was not hurt, according to Moss, who said an investigation into the crash was ongoing Wednesday.

“Using crossovers is not permitted for any reason whatsoever,” Moss said. “It is illegal and highly dangerous to everyone driving on the interstate. We ask that people drive responsibly for the safety of all motorists.”