PORTLAND, Ore.
All southbound lanes of I-5 across the Interstate Bridge were closed for nearly five hours after a truck carrying empty wine bottles struck concrete barriers and flipped.
The bridge was reopened at 7 a.m. but backups stretched for miles on both I-5 and the alternate route, Interstate 205. The detour between the two along State Route 14, a 7-mile stretch, took more than an hour at one point.
A father and son in the truck were not hurt. Police told KGW that speed was a factor in the crash and that the driver would be cited for negligent driving.
Rhamindir 'Roni' Ghuman told KGW that he was in the sleeper cab and awakened to realize that the rig was in the middle of a wreck. It came to a rest and he sensed lots of smoke before escaping.
"I just heard a couple bangs. I could feel everything start falling and it was kind of starting to tip over. It was all just so quick," he said. "Right when we came to a complete stop, there was so much smoke coming out. I was hoping there wasn't a gas leak or anything. I was just panicking getting out of the truck. Once I saw we were on a bridge, it was just crazy!"
The two own Black Rose Trucking LLC out of Kent, Wash., and were on their way to Fairfield, Calif. USDOT records show four vehicle and 11 driver inspections in the last two years with no violations. The company had no crashes during that time.
"He's been driving for 10 years, and this is the first time this has ever happened. It's crazy. And he's a really good driver. It goes to show stuff like that can happen at any time," said Ghuman.
The truck struck the gate for bridge lifts and crews had to inspect the electrical connections on the bridge before it reopened.
Also Wednesday morning, semi-truck carrying milk overturned on the I-205 overpass at exit 12A, closing the southbound off-ramp to Oregon 212 eastbound. The ramp was blocked for several hours as crews cleaned up spilled milk and diesel.