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Washington man dies after 4 a.m. accident A Washington man died early Saturday morning after crashing a semi tractor-trailer down a steep embankment in Medford. According to Oregon State Police reports, Ronald Eugene Dewitt, 52, of Bremerton, was driving south on Interstate 5 around 4 a.m. when he attempted to exit the roadway using the off-ramp to the Crater Lake-Highway 62 interchange. Police report that Dewitt, who worked for Di Pietro Trucking, failed to negotiate the maneuver and crashed over a steep embankment. Dewitt�s tractor landed upside down about 30 feet from the off-ramp, and both the tractor and trailer were demolished, according to police. Parts of a guardrail also were ripped away. Dewitt was hauling a load of shortening at the time of the accident, and police said the cargo was scattered over a large area. Investigators discovered about 350 feet of tire marks and scrapes on the guardrail where the tractor-trailer rolled. Attempts to contact Oregon State Police who are involved in the investigation were unsuccessful Saturday. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.