Semi and SUV collide; truck loses load of hay, closing Highway 26 west of Government Camp for hours

(Update: New photo; highway reopened)

By Alex Jensen, KGW

PORTLAND, Ore. (KGW)— One person was taken to a hospital by Life Flight helicopter after a semi-truck hauling hay and an SUV collided on U.S. 26 early Friday morning, closing all of the lanes for several hours five miles west of Government Camp.

Around 6:28 a.m., Oregon State Police responded to the crash with reported serious injuries. The crash is currently under investigation, OSP said. No other injuries were reported. 

The crash occurred near milepost 48, seven miles east of Welches, the Oregon Department of Transportation said.

By mid-morning, one eastbound lane reopened, but all westbound lanes and the eastbound left lane remained closed to let westbound traffic through. The highway fully reopened Friday afternoon, ODOT said.

There were no local detours in the area where the crash occurred.

The semi hauling hay spilled its load in the crash. ODOT told KGW "that’s a major factor in the time it takes to reopen the highway."

The highway is closed between mileposts 45 and 48. ODOT said special equipment was on the way to clean up the spilled hay, remove the truck and possibly deal with any fuel or fluid leaks. 

Timberline Lodge Ski Resort reported on their conditions page that ski operations Friday morning are impacted due to the crash and resulting road closure. Mt. Hood Meadows said drivers should expect long delays on U.S. 26. If heading up to the mountain to go skiing, drivers should go through Hood River until traffic resumes. 

Track traffic updates on our ODOT TripCheck page.