Wreck cleared — finally — on I-5 south of Portland

Oregon State Police released this information about 8:45 a.m.:

Interstate 5 southbound lanes south of Interstate 205 are closed following an early Wednesday morning commercial truck rollover crash. One person was injured in the crash. ODOT and emergency responders are still on scene coordinating efforts to clear the highway. OSP does not have an estimated time for when the freeway will re-open but ODOT advised the vehicles are being moved to the side of the freeway to open up one lane as soon as possible.

On October 17, 2012 at approximately 4:50 a.m. a commercial truck pulling a trailer loaded with 20,000 pounds of frozen fish driven by MILAN ZEBA, age 53, from British Columbia, was southbound on Interstate 5 near milepost 286 when the driver reportedly fell asleep. The truck and trailer traveled onto the shoulder for about 500 feet before returning onto the freeway where MILAN lost control. The truck and trailer rolled onto their sides across the southbound lanes blocking Interstate 5.

ZEBA was not injured. His co-driver/passenger, VLADO CREVAR, age 48, from British Columbia, was transported by ambulance to Oregon Health & Science University for treatment of minor injury.

ZEBA was cited for Fail to Maintain a Lane of Travel. He is driving for Blue Land Transportation Inc. out of British Columbia.

The southbound lanes were closed for about two hours until one lane was opened to allow traffic stuck behind the crash scene to travel through. The lanes remain closed with detours in place coordinated by ODOT.

OSP is assisted at the scene by ODOT, Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue, and Wilsonville Police Department.

Traffic updates will be posted on ODOT’s website www.TripCheck.com.

Interstates 5 and 205 were more like parking lots this morning after a commercial truck accident near the southern junction of the freeways.

Traffic began flowing in all lanes again after 11 a.m., after heavy equipment removed the wreck. But by then, hundreds or thousands of motorists had been inconvenienced.

The Oregon State Police reports the wreck, a rollover, was near I-5 Milepost 286, between Tualatin and Wilsonville, Ore. The wreck was south of where the freeways converge, backing up southbound lanes of both freeways for several miles.

I-5 north and other local streets are also slowed after drivers bailed out of the traffic jam.