Logging truck crashes on U.S. Highway 395

An unloaded logging truck traveling on U.S. Highway 395 smashed into the upright post supporting a steel reader board, closing traffic Monday on a stretch of the highway also known as the North Spokane Corridor.

The crash, which occurred just after 3 p.m. north of Francis Avenue, where Lincoln Road passes underneath the highway, ejected the driver from the cab of the truck, said Washington State Patrol Trooper Rob Nance.

“The driver was found in front of the log truck,” Nance said. “(We have) no idea what caused it.”

The man, who was in his 40s, was airlifted to Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center by a Northwest MedStar helicopter. He was semiconscious and reacting to pain, Trooper Tom Shirey said.

Department of Transportation officials were checking the reader board for structural integrity. 

“Whenever we have a structure hit we look at all of the connections,” said Robert Blegen, maintenance superintendent for the DOT.