Cement truck flips on Hwy. 26; driver injured

A Prineville man was hospitalized Tuesday after his cement mixer truck left Highway 26 northwest of Prineville, hit an embankment and overturned, Oregon State Police reported. The truck blocked the highway and some cement spilled on the road, which was closed for about four hours.

Around 9 a.m., the Prineville Sand and Gravel truck driven by Dwain Storm, 61, was heading west on the highway near milepost 18 when it left the north side of the highway, troopers said.

It hit a dirt embankment and rolled onto its side until it came to rest blocking the highway linking Prineville and Madras, also spilling cement on the road, they said.

Storm was taken by Crook County Fire & Rescue ambulance to Pioneer Memorial Hospital, then flown to St. Charles-Bend with what troopers said appeared to be serious injuries. However, a hospital spokeswoman said Storm was in fair condition Tuesday afternoon.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation, OSP reported. ODOT crews also assisted at the crash scene.