On Wednesday, the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) coordinated a “complicated truck recovery operation” using a crane in the wake of a fatal crash.
The crash occurred around 12:20 p.m. on June 27 on Highway 58 at mile marker 56, about 11 miles east of McCredie Springs, Oregon. Authorities say that a truck driven by 57 year old Joe Wright was eastbound on the highway when it crashed through a guardrail and plunged down a steep embankment.
Wright passed away as a result of the crash.
On July 7, ODOT closed Highway 58 at 4 a.m. as crews used a crane to remove the truck from the steep embankment.
“After a 10-hour closure, crews reopened OR 58, Willamette Highway, at 2 p.m. today following a complicated truck recovery operation at MP 55.5 near the #SaltCreekTunnel. These photos show how a crane was used to lift the truck from its location 200 feet down the embankment in a tree-covered area. This slope is a steep and fragile one. Boulders fell as crews unloaded the truck’s cargo earlier this week. Because of the hazards involved, crews needed daylight to safely complete this recovery effort,” ODOT said.
ODOT warned drivers that Highway 58 will be reduced to a single lane for the next two weeks as crews continue work on the shoulder.
