The Oregon Department of Transportation says that the Scottsburg Bridge is closed until further notice following a crash that left a tractor trailer floating in the Umpqua River.
The crash happened around 4 p.m. yesterday afternoon on Highway 38 near mile marker 16. Twenty-six year old Seattle-based truck driver Sergi Borodin was hauling empty pallets on the highway when he crashed through a bridge railing. Part of the trailer fell into the Umpqua River below, spilling pallets and diesel fuel into the water.
Update On Scottsburg Bridge Closure https://t.co/L6nwKrkoXp
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Firefighters were called in to extract Borodin from the cab of the truck. He was taken to the hospital for treatment of minor injuries.
Oregon police say speed was a factor in the crash and that Borodin received several citations.
Highway 38 has been closed since the crash. ODOT currently has no estimated time for reopening the highway. The crash is believed to have compromised the structural integrity of the bridge and could take several days to repair. According to ODOT, “it will take a large reaction beam and a heat-straightening contractor to make repairs sufficient to open up the bridge to trucks. We may know by (Thursday) how long it will take to repair, but it could easily be approximately one week even under emergency contracting procedures.”
Transportation official advise drivers to take Highway 42 or Highway 126 as an alternate route.