QUILCENE– A spilled load of logs, after the collision of a log truck and a Jeep forced traffic to detour off U.S. Highway 101 for more than two hours.
The crash occurred about 2:15 p.m. Monday near the Little Quilcene River bridge about a mile north of the town of Quilcene.
According to State Patrol reports, a 2006 Jeep Wrangler driven by Matthew Callahan, 23, of Quilcene was stopped in the southbound lane so he could talk to a pedestrian.
The loaded log truck driven by Alan Owens, 32, of Port Angeles also was traveling southbound and moved into the northbound lane to pass the Jeep when Callahan attempted to make a left turn with the Jeep.
The truck, which was towing two fully loaded log trailers, clipped the Jeep and sent it into a ditch.
The truck then spun around and lost its cargo on the road.
Both drivers were wearing seat belts, troopers said.
Owens was taken by ambulance to Olympic Medical Center in Port Angeles, where he was treated for contusions and abrasions.
Callahan was not physically injured but appeared badly shaken.
He along with his grandparents, who witnessed the crash, were treated at the scene by paramedics.
U.S. 101 was reopened to through traffic at about 4:30 p.m., but long backups were avoided because Center Road was used as a detour route.
Dan Perry, a truck driver from Victoria, was traveling north when he saw the incident.
“The truck tried to pass the Jeep and clipped it and it flipped over,” Perry said.
Perry was far enough away that he didn’t feel that he or his truck were in any danger.
“All I could do was slow down,” he said.
Jolaine Talley, one of Callahan’s neighbors, said she was washing her car in a rear yard when she heard a loud noise.
She went into her front yard in time to see the truck sliding across the highway and losing its load “as if it was in slow motion.”
She tried to dial 9-1-1 on her cell phone but could not get a signal, so she went inside her house to make the call.
At the scene, Callahan declined to comment.
“I can’t deal with talking about this right now,” he said.
A medium-sized bulldozer was used to clear the logs from the roadway.
The trailer debris will be removed from the side of the road today, troopers said.
Callahan will be cited for negligent driving, the State Patrol reported.
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
