Idaho man injured in Hwy. 58 truck crash
An Idaho man riding in a semi-truck was seriously injured early Thursday morning in a rollover crash on Oregon Hwy. 58 about a mile west of the Willamette Pass Ski area, according to Oregon State Police, who investigated the crash and cited the driver.
Around 1:15 a.m., an International truck pulling a semi-trailer loaded with medical supplies driven by Teodor Margineanu, 64, of Portland, was westbound on Highway 68 near milepost 61 when he failed to safely negotiate a right curve, troopers said.
The truck and trailer crossed both eastbound lanes and struck a guardrail, damaging about 300 feet of railing, then tipped onto the left side before coming to rest blocking the right eastbound lane.
The trailer split open, spilling a portion of the load onto the highway, troopers said.
Co-driver/passenger William Morris, 50, of Nampa, Idaho, was asleep in the truck’s sleeper berth and received serious, but non-life-threatening injuries, troopers said. He was transported by air ambulance to Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend in Springfield.
Margineanu, who was wearing his seat belt, was not injured. He was cited by OSP for failure to maintain a lane and later given a ride by a trooper to an area hotel.
OSP troopers from Oakridge and Springfield responded to investigate the crash. Senior Trooper Cecil Arient is the lead investigator.
OSP was assisted at the scene by Oakridge Fire & EMS, Northwest HazMat Inc., and ODOT. Both eastbound lanes were closed for about four hours. One eastbound lane remained closed until the vehicles are removed and while ODOT assessed guardrail damage. Traffic updates are available at www.TripCheck.com .
