Semi rollover causes hours-long delays on I-5

TALENT, Ore.– Traffic was bumper to bumper from Talent to Ashland on Sunday after a semi-truck crashed on its side. No one was injured but both lanes of the I-5 going north were completely blocked for several hours.

According to first responders, a pick-up truck carrying several wooden chairs, lost one while driving on the highway. The chair flew down the road causing a van and the semi-truck to swerve out of the way to avoid hitting it. The two vehicles then collided head-on leading the semi to flip onto its side.

The driver of the van said he was heading to Medford to cash a check. He and his dog appeared unharmed after the collision and he did have insurance on his van. Witnesses said the truck driver was also fine. Both witnesses and first responders on-scene said the driver was carrying about 75,000 pounds of produce in his truck.

It’s unknown at this time if the pick-up truck driver carrying the chair will be charged. Witnesses said the driver did turn back after seeing what had happened.

Hundreds of cars were stranded on the interstate for several hours as crews worked to try and move the truck onto the side of the highway. After about two hours, wreck crews were able to get one lane open to help traffic move. Delays on the highway were still ongoing early Sunday evening as the semi’s produce was off-loaded into another truck.

Meanwhile, as crews were moving the semi, another accident occurred on the southbound side of I-5. It appeared a driver had slowed down to look at the accident and was rear-ended by another car.

First responders said this is a perfect case of why people shouldn’t slow down to “rubberneck” at an accident. The two drivers involved in that crash appeared to be fine but it caused delays for southbound travelers as well. Jackson County Fire District 5, which responded to the semi rollover, want to remind people to keep driving and to not slow down on the highway for this very reason.

For more up to date information on the crash, check on Tripcheck.