News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
A Walsh & Sons wood chip truck overturned at the junction of Highway 126 and Highway 20 Tuesday night, September 16, and spilled part of its load into Squaw Creek.
According to Oregon State Police reports, driver Michael James Pommier was heading westbound on Highway 126 at about 10:50 p.m. and approached the road junction too fast. At the turn, Pommier lost control of his rig, which was hauling a semi trailer and a truck trailer.
The truck rolled on its side and came to rest on the eastbound shoulder of Highway 20 right above Squaw Creek.
Sisters fire units responded and a team of four Redmond Hazardous Materials experts was dispatched. According to the Department of Environmental Quality, about one-eighth of the truck's load of chips spilled into the creek. A small amount of oil and diesel fuel reportedly spilled on the pavement and was absorbed by the chips.
No oil or fuel got to the creek.
According to DEQ, the trucking company will be required to clean up all the chips left on the creek bank.
The Squaw Creek guardrail was damaged and some fiber optic cables were uprooted but were not damaged. According to Sisters Police Chief Rich Shawver, the eastbound lane of Highway 20 remained blocked from the time of the accident until about 7 a.m. the next morning.
Police cited Pommier for careless driving.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
Reader Comments(0)