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69 °F Forecast | Road Cams Wednesday, June 8, 2005 Today's News | Shop Our Valley | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery | Contact Us SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Britt Festival Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Biz Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend June 7, 2005 Emergency personnel work to remove the wreckage of a multivehicle accident in the northbound lanes of Interstate 5 near Exit 30 Monday afternoon. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli Tractor-trailer wreaks I-5 havoc Multiple-vehicle smashup north of Medford closes northbound lanes for two hours Monday By PARIS ACHEN Mail Tribune Three motorists are lucky to be alive after a semi-truck plowed into their cars Monday on Interstate 5 near Exit 30 north of the Medford viaduct, said Oregon State Police. "The injuries were minor, amazingly enough," said Senior Trooper William Bedell. "I don’t know why. One of the cars you can’t tell the front from the back." The accident shut down the freeway’s northbound lanes for nearly two hours, reopening at about 2:30 p.m. Traffic had slowed along the freeway because of a minor accident at the Exit 30 off-ramp when the semi-truck rammed into the back of a white Chevrolet pickup in the right lane at about 12:45 p.m. The pickup crashed into a red Volkswagen Jetta, which hit a black Mazda pickup. The semi-truck then struck the Mazda again, flipping it over. Advertisement "The way the truck was moving it was like playing with a set of Hot Wheels," said Erik Piddington of Rogue River, who saw the accident from his rearview mirror and pulled over to help the injured. "I didn’t know how far the semi was going to go," Piddington said. "I didn’t know if it was going to hit me. It was very scary." Two of the three motorists were transported to a local hospital, treated and released, Bedell said. All three cars were totaled. The driver of the semi-truck, Salwinder Singh Padda, was cited on a charge of careless driving based on his own statement and those of witnesses, Bedell said. Padda is a driver for Nickel Plate Express Inc., a trucking company serving 11 Western states, including Oregon. Padda was going the speed limit of 55 mph but did not seem to be paying attention, Bedell said. "One witness said traffic was very slow, and the semi just came flying right in there, never stopped, never slowed and never braked," Bedell said. The accident happened minutes after a three-car fender bender at about 12:39 p.m. in the right northbound lane at the Exit 30 off-ramp. Two cars rear-ended a third car when it stopped for backed-up traffic on the off-ramp, said Capt. Rod Countryman of the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, which responded to the accident. The cars’ drivers suffered minor injuries and were treated and released at a local hospital, Countryman said. Some motorists stranded in the gridlock between Exits 27 and 30 stood outside their cars, talking on cellular phones and trying to get a glimpse of the accidents. "The southbound lanes were backed up too because people were slowing down and gawking," Bedell said. Reach reporter Paris Achen at 776-4496 or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Free Music Downloads Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg diamonds Distance Education Diamonds Online Poker Auto Insurance Mesothelioma Slippers Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation teleconferencing Website Design & Marketing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Mortgage Calculator Free Home-Loan Referrals Payday Loans Advertisement s