NORWAY — The owner of a Sabattus well drilling company was badly injured Tuesday afternoon at a job site on McKay Road.

Ross Deschaine, 49, of Sabattus, owner of Sunco Pump and Well Drilling, was hospitalized at Maine Medical Center in Portland on Tuesday night. Information on his injuries and condition was not available.

Norway police officer Ron Cole said the accident is under investigation, but it appears that a high-pressure water hose broke and struck Deschaine in the neck and head.

Deschaine’s brother and co-worker Bert Deschaine told police the hose flew up, accompanied by a loud bang, and Ross Deschaine was found a moment later lying in a nearby ditch.

“It’s hard to say whether he staggered and fell or if it knocked him several feet,” Cole said.

One employee, Travis Johnson, was knocked to the ground but wasn’t injured, Cole said.

The accident happened before 3 p.m. on McKay Road, which is off Wiley Road near the Waterford town line.

PACE ambulance brought Deschaine to Stephens Memorial Hospital in Norway. From there, a LifeFlight helicopter flew him to Portland.

According to the company website, Ross Deschaine has owned and operated Sunco Pump and Well Drilling since 1989 with his wife and brothers. The company drills and installs pumps and offers hydraulic fracturing services as well as down-the-hole video for wells with problems.

treaves@sunjournal.com