AUBURN — The engine fell out of a 17-year-old Oldsmobile late Saturday morning as it climbed Court Street, sending the car into two minivans headed in the opposite direction.

Song Lian, 40, of Auburn was driving the black 1994 Oldsmobile up Goff Hill on Court Street at about 10:53 a.m. when he lost control and the car jerked into oncoming traffic, Auburn Patrolman Paul Caouette said.

It collided with a gray 2000 Chevrolet Venture driven by Rene Bilodeau, 48, of Auburn and a red 2001 Ford Windstar driven by Pauline Veinote, also of Auburn.

Caouette said police and emergency responders didn’t realize the engine had fallen out of the car until they tried to load it onto a tow truck.

“When they hooked the car up, we could see that there was structural damage already there and it had just let go,” Caouette said. “When it did, everything just dropped into the road and it pulled the car hard. He just lost all steering and sideswiped the two minivans.”

The accident closed Court Street between Lake and Haskell streets for about an hour Saturday morning.

Bilodeau, the driver of the Chevrolet minivan, complained of hip pain and was taken to a local hospital in a private vehicle, Caouette said.

“His was the first van down the hill and the first one that was sideswiped,” Caouette said. No other injuries were reported.

Veinote was able to drive her Ford minivan away from the accident. Damage to the other two vehicles was severe enough that Caouette said neither was drivable.

He said no charges had been filed, although the accident was still being investigated.

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