Semi truck crashes into river

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Story Published: Apr 10, 2008 at 11:35 AM PST

By Dan Bain

A semi crash east of Glide this morning sent one man to the hospital with serious injuries.

Oregon State Police say a chip truck belonging to Terrain Tamers of Dillard went off Highway 138 about 30 miles east of Glide and ended up in the North Umpqua River.

The driver, 37-year-old Justin Shaffer of Dillard, was going around a corner and went across the westbound lane, hit a tree and ended up in about five feet of water in the river.

Rescuers were able to get Shaffer out of the cab and up the 20 foot embankment.

He was flown by air ambulance from the scene, but officers say he was conscious and talking.

The trailer was empty, but the tractor was pretty much destroyed in the crash.

First Strike Hazmat team was called to the scene to deal with a diesel spill. Both fuel tanks were submerged in the river.

The accident happened on a long sweeping corner and police say there were no skid marks. They say they've never seen an accident in that area before.

They're not sure yet what caused the driver to go off the roadway, and no word yet on the condition of the driver.

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