June 29, 2023 3:40 a.m.
A four-vehicle wreck, which included a box truck, two commercial motor vehicle/trailer combinations and a pickup, closed a section of the south bound lanes of Interstate Five north of Myrtle Creek, on Tuesday.
An Oregon State Police report said at about 8:45 a.m. a box truck was parked on the shoulder of the road, partially blocking the right-hand lane of travel. Traffic was slowing and merging to the left to avoid the vehicle.
A commercial motor vehicle was unable to stop in time and rear ended the second CMV which then was pushed into the pickup. The driver of the first CMW was transported to CHI Mercy Medical Center for evaluation.
The second CMV was carrying large containers of lithium batteries that were knocked off the trailer into the roadway. The southbound lanes were shut down for several hours while the batteries were recovered.
The News Review is reporting that during the cleanup process, a detour was put in place, sending traffic off the freeway at exit 106, through the community of Tri-City, before vehicles could reenter the freeway at exit 103. That meant long delays for those traveling southbound. The roadway fully reopened just after 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday.