Truck and Trailer End Up In the Columbia River [PHOTO]
Chalk this up to things you don't see very often. A truck and trailer ended up submerged on the Columbia River last week.
The accident happened on July 1st on US 97 near Lake Chelan. A truck and trailer ended up in the Columbia River near Beebe Bridge after the driver lost control of the big rig.
The Orondo Fire Department posted about the incident on their Facebook page:
A motorist reported rocks in the roadway on US 97 8 miles south of the Beebe Bridge. A state patrol trooper was dispatched to check on the roadway and found a damaged guardrail and semi in the river.
He heard someone yelling for help and found the driver of the semi on the Columbia River edge.
Fire and aid were dispatched, using high-angle rescue rope techniques to bring the patient up the steep embankment in a stokes basket stretcher. He was treated at the scene and then transported to Lake Chelan Community Hospital.
The semi-tractor was entirely submerged in the river. The driver self-extricated and swam to shore. The trailer was partially submerged. Efforts are ongoing to protect the River from environmental release and recover the truck and trailer.
It is believed the trailer was empty on the way to Brewster to pick up fruit.
There were nine firefighters on the scene from Orondo Fire and Chelan Fire, three EMS personnel from Lake Chelan Community Hospital, and five law enforcement officers from Douglas County Sheriff and the Washington State Patrol along with five fire apparatus
Luckily the driver was ok but I can't the same for the truck and trailer. The incident is still being investigated. You can check out more details on the rescue here.