A tractor-trailer tipped over Thursday morning on southbound Interstate 205 in the Salmon Creek area, stalling traffic for miles.
The semi crashed about 6:50 a.m. on the freeway near 20th Avenue and blocked a single lane of traffic, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation.
Traffic maps showed vehicles backing up to around 179th Street about 30 minutes after the crash was reported. A traffic alert listed the crash as “high impact.”
Clark County Fire District 6 said in a Facebook post that the semi toppled near the freeway’s junction with Interstate 5. It was the only vehicle involved, and the driver was reportedly OK, according to the fire district.
The driver was southbound when they went off the freeway to the right, striking a sign and trees, Washington State Patrol Trooper Will Finn said in an email. The driver veered hard to the left, overcorrecting. That caused the semi to turn around, Finn said.
“The (semi) rolled onto its passenger side as it slid across the lanes and departed the roadway to the left, striking guard rail,” he wrote.
Destroying a portion of the guard rail, the semi came to rest on the shoulder of the freeway on its passenger’s side facing north, Finn said.
One southbound lane was closed from 6:45 to 9 a.m. for cleanup, fuel transfer and to secure the scene. Transportation officials planned to return to the scene around 10 p.m. and close the freeway for a final cleanup, Finn said.
The vehicle was hauling about 40,000 items described as household goods.
Troopers identified the driver of the tractor-trailer as 38-year-old Urban Wells of Vancouver. Wells was cited for second-degree negligent driving, a $550 fine.
