Crews working to remove the truck from the river. | Credit: KCBY.com
A semi truck hauling asphalt for a paving project had an accident which caused it to completely rollover. The truck’s entire load of asphalt was dumped onto the river bank and into the East Fork of the Coquille River.
Oregon Emergency Management was notified of the spill into the waterway.
The driver of the truck suffered a laceration to his forehead and was taken to a nearby hospital. The driver claims the front wheel on his truck went off the narrow road, which caused him to lose control.
The truck driver was a private contractor working for Knife River.
Knife River is the company in charge of paving Sitkum Lane between mileposts 17 and 24 for the Coos County Road Department.
The driver told the Sheriff’s Office that he was towing a large belly dump trailer loaded with asphalt. He was supposedly driving one of the last loads for the evening when his truck slipped off the roadway.
After hours of hard work, the truck and trailer were eventually removed from the river.
