Dump truck crashes, tree falls onto Northeast 199th Street

Northeast 199th Street south of Ridgefield was blocked for more than an hour midafternoon Wednesday after a dump truck veered off the roadway and struck a tree. The tree took down power lines and fell across the roadway.

The accident was reported at 2:45 p.m. at 4702 N.E. 199th St.

The driver was allegedly distracted when he accidentally drove off the roadway, through a barbed wire fence and struck a tree, said Sgt. Fred Neiman, spokesman for the Clark County Sheriff’s Office. The tree top fell down, taking out a power cable, phone line and phone pole, said Battalion Chief Tim Dawdy, spokesman for Clark County Fire & Rescue.

The driver, whose name was not released, crawled out of the truck and was uninjured.

When firefighters arrived, the power lines were still live. Clark Public Utilities turned off power to the lines.

Originally, hundreds of customers were in the dark from the downed lines. By Wednesday night, power was restored to all affected customers.

Crews with chain saws removed the tree, which blocked both lanes, and the dump truck was towed. One lane of the roadway was then opened, while utility workers worked to put up a new power pole and power lines.

The Clark County Sheriff’s Office cited the driver for driving with wheels off the roadway.