FLORENCE, OR – A semi trailer truck accident Wednesday morning, August 18, shut down a highway near a scenic area in Lane County, Oregon. The collision involved two other vehicles and occurred on Oregon State Highway 101 near the city of Florence, OR. The accident area is in the far west central section of the state on the coast of the Pacific Ocean, about 60 miles west of Eugene, OR and about 180 miles north of Crescent City, California.
Shortly after 10:00 a.m. Wednesday morning 29 year old Daniel Vader was driving a semi truck north on Highway 101 in Lane County, Oregon. The open trailer of the truck was filled with a cargo of wood chips.
At about 10:15 a.m. the trailer truck was just north of the city of Florence and about two miles from Seal Lions Cave. As the trailer truck approached the area near mile marker 181 Mr. Vader lost control of the 18 wheeler as he rounded some sharp turns on the highway. The semi truck tipped and rolled, falling onto the driver’s side and sliding across the southbound lanes of the highway.
The flipped truck slid into a parking pull-off for the nearby scenic coastal area, crashing into a 2001 Ford Focus driven by 21 year old Travis Wilson. Mr. Wilson’s pregnant wife, 21 year old Sarah Wilson, was a passenger in the car.
After hitting the Ford the semi trailer truck continued to slide along the highway colliding with a 2010 Nissan Sentra occupied by a 19 year old female tourist from Switzerland. The trailer truck pushed the Nissan into the highway guardrail where both vehicles came to a rest. Mr. Vader was able to get out of the cab and offered aid to the woman in the Nissan.
MAP
View Larger Map
Emergency personnel from the Siuslaw Fire Department responded to the truck accident. The couple in the Ford, Mr. and Mrs. Wilson, were injured when the trailer truck slammed into their car. They were treated and stabilized at the scene and then transported to Peace Harbor Hospital in Western Lane ambulances. Their injuries have been described as minor and non-life threatening.
The truck driver and the woman in the Nissan were not injured in the truck accident.
A portion of the semi’s cargo spilled out during the rollover truck accident. Most of the wood chips ended up on the mountain bluff embankment and off the highway.
Oregon State Police also responded to the site of the truck accident. They shut down a portion of Highway 101 to one lane around the flipped trailer truck and cars. Oregon Department of Transportation highway crews and tow trucks were brought to the site to remove the disabled vehicles. The work would take more than four hours. All lanes on Highway 101 were reopened at around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday afternoon.
Authorities conducted a reconstruction of the truck accident to determine the cause of the three vehicle crash. OSP investigators have not released their findings at this time. It is not known if they suspect excessive speed or reckless driving.
No charges have been brought at this time and the truck accident remains under investigation.
For more information about Oregon trucking laws, truck injury causes and victims rights, contact a nationwide truck accident attorney at Gordon, Elias & Seely, LLP for expert advice. For a free initial consultation, talk to a OR truck accident lawyer at 800.773.6770.