OSP IDs Oakridge man killed in Hwy. 58 crash

A 55-year-old Oakridge man was killed late Tuesday afternoon when his pickup truck crossed the center line and collided with an oncoming semi-truck on Oregon Highway 58 12 miles east of Pleasant Hill, Oregon State Police said.

Troopers on Wednesday identified the driver of the Dodge pickup as Timothy David Fine.

Two occupants of the semi sustained minor injuries in the fiery crash, which shut the highway for a time..

According to OSP Lt. Robert Edwards, around 5:15 p.m., Fine’s pickup was heading east on Highway 58 near milepost 16 when it crossed the center line and collided with a westbound commercial truck pulling a semi-trailer loaded with computers and tires.

The truck and trailer caught fire and was fully engulfed when emergency responders started arriving. The fire spread to brush on both sides of the highway.

Fine was pronounced dead at the scene.

The truck’s two occupants escaped the commercial truck with minor injuries. Both were transported by ground ambulance to Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend in Springfield for treatment. Troopers did not have their names but said they were treated at the hospital and released.

The highway was shut while firefighters controlled the fire. One lane was reopened after 8 p.m. Troopers said the other lane was closed for several hours while ODOT and a tow company worked with heavy equipment to remove the burned truck and semi-trailer, and the pickup. It reopened after midnight.

OSP troopers and a collision reconstructionist from the Springfield Area Command office are continuing the investigation. Trooper Kyle Bachmeier is the lead investigator.

OSP was assisted at the scene by fire personnel from Dexter, Lowell, Oakridge, and Goshen. Additional assisted provided by ODOT, the Oregon Department of Forestry and Northwest Hazmat, Inc.