Semi rolls over on I-90 ramp at Schoessler Road

RITZVILLE – A semi truck with a 20-foot container rolled over in a non injury collision as it was entering I-90 Westbound at Schoessler Road late Wednesday morning, Nov. 18.

Westbound traffic on I-90 was being detoured around the Schoessler Road overpass, as Department of Transportation crews worked to repair damage done by an oversized load in June.

Washington State Patrol Trooper Roskamp, who responded to the incident along with WSP Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Officer Olivas, said the driver, whose name was not released, “just took the corner too fast coming off the interstate there.”

Adams County Fire District No. 1 Chief Scott Kembel said they got called at 10:22 a.m. and six firemen responded, with a rescue rig, a fire truck and a brush truck.

“It took awhile to get him cleaned up and out of the ditch. That always takes awhile,” Kembel said.

An ambulance with East Adams Rural Health responded also.

“Two or three EMTs checked him out on scene, and then he signed refusals (to be transported),” Kembel said. “He’s a lucky man.”

The DOT was scheduled to complete the work requiring detours at the Schoessler Road overpass Nov. 24.

“I’m just glad that driver was okay on that truck, and everything turned out okay. That could have been really dangerous, coming through there, because there was a lot of people right in there,” Kembel said. “I’m glad nobody got hurt.”

Roskamp said because there was no road blockage and there were no injuries, WSP would not be sending out additional information.

“If there’s nothing major about it, then we don’t do a press release,” Roskamp said.

Three more rollovers occurred in the general area Friday morning, Nov. 20.

“The roadway was just really frosty this morning, and once the semi traffic glazed that over and packed it down it made it really icy,” Washington State Patrol spokesman Trooper Tylock said Nov. 20.

The rollovers occurred at mileposts 229, 232, and 252. The trooper said the rollover at 229 was in the westbound lanes, and the one at 232 was in the eastbound lanes. He wasn’t certain which direction the person was traveling when they rolled over at milepost 252.

The trooper said the cause of all three was driving too fast on the icy roads.