An Oregon truck driver is facing numerous charges after he fell asleep at the wheel on Interstate 5 near Tumwater early Thursday morning and his tractor-trailer crossed the barrier median, blocking southbound traffic for five and a half hours, police say.
James H. Gerrit, 22, of Albany, Ore., faces negligent driving charges as well as others because police found that he falsified his log book that records when he is operating the truck or resting, said Trooper Guy Gill, a spokesman for the Washington State Patrol. Gerrit works for George Van Dyke Trucking Inc. of Albany, Ore.
Neither Gerrit nor anyone else was injured in the wreck, Gill said, but it resulted in a costly cleanup and a backup that stretched more than five miles.
Gerrit also hit an unoccupied state Department of Transportation truck. No other vehicles were involved in the wreck, and police found that drugs and alcohol were not involved.
“It’s amazing that no one else was involved,” he said. “It was hard to believe.”
According to Gill:
The crash happened when Gerrit was heading northbound at 4:49 a.m. on I-5 between Tumwater Boulevard and 93rd Avenue, just south of Tumwater. That’s when Gerrit’s 2012 Peterbilt truck slammed into an unoccupied state DOT truck that had a flashing arrow warning drivers of road construction ahead. The DOT truck was designed to absorb a heavy impact.
Gerrit’s truck then blew through the concrete barrier separating both directions of the interstate, and the tractor-trailer fell to its side and blocked all southbound lanes.
It took four tow trucks to take away the truck, which was carrying paper pulp. About five dump trucks helped remove the material. Less than 50 gallons of diesel fuel also leaked, but crews were able to contain it.
The freeway reopened at 10:35 a.m.
Matt Batcheldor: 360-704-6869
mbatcheldor@theolympian.com
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