Semi crashes, spilling diesel and anti-freeze into near-bye creek

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Story Published: Mar 9, 2008 at 4:47 PM PST

By Molly Blancett

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COTTAGE GROVE - A rollover crash made for a messy commute along I-5 near Cottage Grove Sunday.

It happened around ten thirty when a semi truck carrying forty thousand pounds of strawberries, bananas and other produce went off the road, taking chunks of the barrier with it and ripping off the axles.

Oregon State Police said 33-year-old Jagjit Singh Badesha of Surrey, British Columbia was headed northbound, going from California to Vancouver, when he claims there was a steering problem.

Not only did the crash leave tons of debris on the freeway, but the gas and anti-freeze also created an ecological hazard in the creek below the bridge.

"There is a diesel spill," said Senior Trooper Jamin Vanmeter. "Obviously, the saddle tanks on the truck were loaded with diesel as well as a tank on the trailer. It's a refer trailer to keep the produce that it was transporting cool."

The driver was treated for minor injuries at the scene. OSP said there is no indication that drugs or alcohol were a factor.

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