The trial began in Bangor Monday for a Danforth man accused of causing a car crash that left his passenger in a wheelchair.

31-year-old Jayson Caron is facing charges of aggravated assault, OUI and aggravated OUI.

The state says Caron's blood alcohol level was twice the legal limit when his vehicle flipped over in Carroll Plantation in 2007.

His passenger, 19-year-old Bobbi Jo Norris, was his girlfriend at the time. She was pregnant.

Norris was ejected and suffered severe spinal injuries, and is now paraplegic. The baby survived.

The state says a witness saw Caron get behind the wheel at a store after the Springfield Fair.

"He insisted on driving. She unfortunately slid over into the passenger seat and then he drove from the store to the North Road in Carroll Plantation where the serious crash occurred," says Gregory Campbell, assistant district attorney.

The jury heard opening arguments and testimony from Norris Monday morning. The trial is expected to last until Thursday.

Aggravated assault is punishable by up to ten years in prison.

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