Two Semis Crash into Columbia River

The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) has announced that a section of I-84 west will be closed for several hours on Monday. This closure is necessary as ODOT works to recover two semis that crashed into the Columbia River at almost the same location on Friday night, albeit at different times.

Starting at 7 a.m., the westbound side of I-84 will be shut down between Biggs Junction and Celilo near milepost 103. To navigate around this area, drivers will be redirected via Highway 30 and Highway 206. Alternatively, they can use Highway 97 to cross the river at Biggs Junction and then take State Route 14 in Washington.

According to ODOT, "The length of the closure will depend on the complexity of the recovery."

Fortunately, both drivers involved in these incidents managed to escape their vehicles unharmed, as confirmed by the Sherman County Sheriff's Office. The crashes are currently under investigation by Oregon State Police; however, no information regarding these unusual events has been released yet.

"The separate crashes occurred along the westbound side of I-84 between the Sam Hill Memorial Bridge and Miller Island," stated the Sherman County Sheriff's Office on Saturday morning.

In regards to specifics about each crash:

1. The first crash involved a double trailer from Titan Freight Systems which broke through a guardrail before submerging its undisclosed payload into the Columbia River. Following this incident, the driver successfully swam back to shore.
2. The second crash involved an empty twin tanker truck. Photos taken after this accident show that only its cabin remained above water level.

At present, it remains unclear how much diesel fuel was spilled into the river due to these crashes.

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