Semis snarl highway traffic

Published 5:00 am Saturday, June 1, 2013

A pair of overturned semi-trailers temporarily blocked highways in Central Oregon on Friday, according to the Oregon Department of Transportation.

The two trucks ran into trouble almost simultaneously about 40 miles apart, according to ODOT. Around noon, a big rig ran onto the shoulder of U.S. Route 97 about 13 miles north of La Pine, said ODOT spokesman Peter Murphy.

The road shoulder was closed while the truck was hauled away and 25 gallons of fuel cleaned up, he said.

About the same time, another semi-trailer overturned east of Redmond on State Route 126 near Southest Ochoco Way. That truck, hauling lumber and driven by Sean Monaham, 24, of Central Oregon Truck Co., collided with power lines and brought live lines down onto the crash scene, according to Redmond Police.

No one was injured, according to police.

Both lanes were closed while a crew de-energized downed lines to allow removal of the truck. Murphy said he was unaware of any injuries that resulted from the incident. Police said one lane was opened around 4 p.m. while clean-up continued.

Traffic was rerouted around the scene at milepost 1.5 along the Powell Butte Highway and Veterans Way.

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