A commercial truck driver was cited for careless driving after he lost control when he attempted to pass a slower moving semi-truck and trailer as the vehicles approached an icy curve, causing both trailers to collide, and one to jackknife and spill its load. All three lanes of Highway 97 were blocked for two hours, said Oregon State Police.
The accident occurred about 5:38 a.m. Thursday, December 21, north of Madras on Highway 97 near milepost 72, as the driver of a 1999 Peterbilt truck pulling a flat-bed trailer loaded with 43,000 pounds of steel coil attempted the hazardous move on the icy highway.
Rusty Graves was cited for careless driving when he attempted to pass a semi-truck with trailer as they approached an icy curve of Highway 97 north of Madras. OSP photo.
Rusty Graves, a 35-year old resident of Libby, Montana, was cited by Oregon State Police for careless driving. Neither he nor the other unidentified driver were injured in the accident.
According to the OSP news release, Oregon Department of Transportation personnel responded to the scene to handle traffic and highway scene management. All three lanes of Highway 97 were blocked completely for about two hours, then it was periodically reopened for quite some time until completely cleared.