Two semi trucks were sent sliding down an embankment in Washington on Tuesday afternoon after a four-wheeler hydroplaned on wet roads, causing a chain reaction crash.
The accident happened on April 26th in Woodland, Washington just before 2 p.m.
According to KOMO News, heavy rain along Interstate 5 near milepost 23 caused a car in the southbound lanes to hydroplane and spin into another lane, where it was struck by a semi truck. The collision sent the first vehicle crashing into several others, and caused the semi truck to crash into another rig. Both semi trucks then went off the roadway and down a roadside embankment. One truck caught fire, while the other slid into the river.
No serious injuries were reported as a result of the crash. Firefighters were able to get the empty, burning semi truck under control and remove it from the embankment, but crews shut down one lane of southbound I-5 overnight as they worked to remove the submerged rig from the river. That truck was hauling metal shelving.
Washington State Department of Ecology says that the incident spilled diesel and left a “visible sheen” on the Columbia River near the crash site, and a fire boat was used to contain the fuel leaking into the river.
Responding troopers say that the incident is an example of driving too fast for conditions.
“Speed limits are created for ideal conditions, dry, clear visibility and not much traffic on the roads. The conditions were not ideal, and somebody was driving extremely, at a speed that was not safe. So yes, there will be an infraction issued to that causing-driver for speed too fast for conditions today,” said Washington State Trooper Will Finn.