Local News

The Oregon State Police arrested a California trucker for impaired driving after he crashed into another commercial vehicle on Interstate 5 in Grants Pass and caused a traffic backup late yesterday.

OSP reports troopers and emergency crews responded to the two-vehicle collision in the southbound lanes of I-5 near milepost 55 on Monday at 5:19 p.m..

Troopers said a witness reported a white Volvo semi-truck speeding and failing to maintain its travel lane before crashing into a white Kenworth semi while trying to pass it on a curve of the freeway. Both commercial vehicles and their trailers were towed into town, but not before southbound I-5 traffic was backed up for miles.

According to OSP, the driver of the Volvo semi -- identified as a 52-year-old man from Union City, California -- displayed signs of impairment and then performed poorly in field sobriety tests. He was taken to the Grants Pass Sobering Center where he provided a breath sample that was more than twice the legal driving limit.

The suspect driver was lodged at the Sobering Center for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants and Reckless Driving. The company he drives for was alerted about the incident.