Rollover wreck ties up traffic on I-5 northbound at Lombard Street
Authorities are on the scene of a rollover accident along Interstate 5 northbound at North Lombard Street in Portland.
A woman was pinned by the multiple-vehicle accident, which included at least two tractor-trailer rigs, according to Portland police. She later was extricated and taken to a hospital.
The accident, caused by a truck spilling a load of rebar, occurred just after 9 p.m. That was barely an hour after another wreck near the Jantzen Beach exit closed two northbound and southbound lanes.
Together, the crashes turned northbound traffic into "a parking lot," emergency dispatchers said.
-- Kimberly A.C. Wilson;
Van collision with log truck kills woman, injures at least three others
A van carrying six people collided with a log truck and trailer early Wednesday morning in Albany.
Around 4:20 a.m. on Wednesday, Pedro Ibarra, 60, of Lebanon was driving a GMC Safari van west near the 4500 block of Knox Butte Road E as Dennis Lilly, 47, of Albany, was backing his Peterbilt truck out of the driveway onto Knox Butte Road.
Lilly saw the van approaching and tried to pull his truck forward into the driveway but the van struck the trailer attachment on the back of the log truck and then hit a vehicle in an adjacent driveway.
Maria Ibarra, 58, a passenger in the van, was pronounced dead at the scene. Pedro Ibarra, 19-year-old son Jose Ibarra and a family friend were taken to area hospitals for treatment. Two other passengers, 25-year-old Cesar Ibarra-Andrade and 14-year-old nephew, Otoniel Ibarra were treated at the scene.
Anyone with information regarding this crash is encouraged to call the Albany Police Department at 541- 917-7680.
Cyclist's family sues garbage truck driver in fatal crash
Brett Jarolimek
The family of a bicyclist who died after being struck by a garbage truck in Portland has sued the big vehicle's driver, claiming 40-year-old Bryan Lowes of Oregon City was negligent and should have never been behind the wheel.
In the $1.5 million lawsuit, Brett Jarolimek's family contends that Lowe failed to yield to the bicyclist as he rode in the bike lane on the morning of Oct. 22. The complaint also alleges that Lowes was driving with a broken right-side mirror, affixed with a Bungee cord.
What's more, the complaint says, Portland-based AGG Enterprises shouldn't have allowed Lowe to drive its garbage truck because of past drug convictions and driving violations. AGG is a co-defendant in the suit.
The company "knew or should have known Lowes posed an unreasonable risk of danger to bicyclists, pedestrians and motorists," the suit states.
Jarolimek, 31, a well-liked fixture in Portland cycling circles, was killed in a "right hook" collision as he cycled down a bike lane into the path of the turning garbage truck at North Interstate Avenue and Greeley Street.
Police have said they will not cite Lowes. Jarolimek's death was one of six cycling fatalities last year that led city officials to speed up plans to install green "bike boxes" at treacherous intersections around the city.
U.S. 26 closed after tanker spill
Oregon State PoliceThis tanker crashed along U.S. 26 this morning.
A trailer loaded with about 4,000 gallons of gasoline separated from a tanker truck this morning and crashed off the side of U.S. 26, about just west of Welches Road. The highway remained closed as of 12:30 p.m. while the company off-loaded the remaining gasoline into another trailer.
Oregon Department of Transportation officials have set up a detour using Barlow Trail Road. Workers from Portland General Electric are on scene to handle issues related to the power pole and power lines hit by the wayward trailer.
According to Oregon State Police Recruit Trooper Ted Moisan, the accident happened about 5:40 a.m. A Cascade Petroleum Transportation company tanker was pulling a tanker trailer eastbound near milepost 39 when the trailer separated. It then crashed off the eastbound shoulder and reportedly damaged a PGE power pole and lines.
The trailer was leaking about 5 gallons per minute, according to fire and police personnel on scene. Hoodland Fire Department is assisting. PGE is on scene handling issues related to the power pole and power lines.
No one was injured and no citations have been issued.
Trucker dies in I-5 crash; Tractor-trailer rig weaving down freeway struck other driver standing beside his truck, witness said
Posted by Medford Mail Tribune September 26, 2008
Byline: Chris Conrad, Mail Tribune
A truck driver was killed Thursday afternoon on Interstate 5 when he was struck by a tractor-trailer while standing outside his rig near the top of the Siskiyou Summit, police said.
The crash happened just after 4 p.m. near milepost 4 south of Ashland. OSP trooper Jeff Proulx speculated that Kelly Lihnart, 52, of Blodgett, about 15 miles west of Corvallis, left the cab of his tractor-trailer to inspect his brakes and the load he was carrying before descending the long grade into Ashland.
As he stood beside the freeway's northbound lane, another tractor-trailer driven by Daniel Clarey, 54, of Long Beach, Calif., veered out of the traffic lane and crashed into Linhart's rig.
Linhart was standing in front of his tractor-trailer and attempted to avoid the oncoming truck but was struck and killed. Clarey was not injured, OSP officials said.
Trucker David Brooks, who had pulled off the road directly behind the victim's trailer, saw the wreck unfold as he was speaking to his wife on a cell phone.
"When the semi pulled around me and then coasted over to the side I knew a heck of an accident was about to happen," Brooks said. "It was not fun to watch happen."
The way the tractor-trailer veered back and forth on the freeway led Brooks to believe Clarey had fallen asleep at the wheel before crashing into the parked trailer.
"He had been all over the road for miles before we got here," Brooks said. "I knew he was falling asleep. Man, that's why they have rest areas and truck stops."
Proulx would not comment on the Clarey's actions before the crash. He declined to say whether he would face criminal charges in connection with the accident. By late Thursday night, Clarey had not been charged with a crime.
"We are going to be out here late into the evening investigating this," Proulx said. "It is being treated as a crime scene."
Proulx said the tractor-trailer was traveling at about 20 mph when it struck Linhart. The impact ripped open the trailer and sent hundreds of bottles of water tumbling on the road.
"It's pretty steep here and trucks usually don't move that fast through the area," Proulx said.
The crash closed one lane of traffic for several hours. Troopers covered Linhart's body with a gray tarp as a long line of traffic crept slowly past the scene.
Brooks, a trucker from North Carolina, said he has seen several serious accidents over his five years on the road. He said each one teaches him a valuable lesson about life on the highway.
"This one reminds me to slow it down while heading down this pass," he said.
Proulx said anyone driving by the area who might have seen the accident is asked to call OSP at 776-6111. Witness accounts could help investigators reconstruct the accident, he said.
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