On Thursday June 18th, just after 9:30am, Oregon State Police Troopers and emergency personnel responded to a single vehicle crash on Interstate 5 near Phoenix Rd.
First responders arrived to a scene of a semi-tractor trailer that had left the roadway, and the shoulder before coming to rest just off the northbound lanes of Interstate 5.
Preliminary investigation by the Oregon State Police revealed that a 2018 Volvo Commercial Motor Vehicle was traveling northbound on Interstate 5 when for unknown reasons the truck veered onto the shoulder, struck a guardrail, and came to rest in a small creek.
The operator of the tractor trailer rig sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced deceased. The name will be released after next of kin notification has been made.
The unnamed creek accesses Bear Creek which is a tributary of the Rogue River. An estimated 50-75 gallons of diesel spilled into the creek system. Emergency crews quickly recovered the fuel from the semi and contained the spill.
Oregon State Police was assisted on scene by ODOT, Phoenix Police Department, Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, and Medford Fire and Rescue.
