No injuries reported in multi-vehicle accident – Medford News, Weather, Sports, Breaking News
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No injuries reported in multi-vehicle accident Feb 14, 2009 12:00 AM A A A UPS delivery truck, a tractor-trailer and at least a half-dozen passenger vehicles skidded into one another or off Interstate 5 at about milepost 15 Friday. The accident occurred along a construction zone near Ashland where bridges are being replaced, Jackson County Fire District No. 5 officials said. No one was injured in the chain-reaction crash that happened when a fog bank rolled in, limiting visibility in an area where the road was snow-packed and icy. Southbound vehicles started piling up or swerving off the road to avoid others just before 9 a.m., Oregon Department of Transportation officials said. One lane reopened just before 10 a.m., but traffic remained backed up. All lanes reopened at 10:25 a.m., ODOT reported. At 10:15 a.m. all chain restrictions were lifted over Siskiyou Summit. Drivers are still required to carry chains to travel over the mountains. Fire District 5 and Oregon State Police also responded Friday morning to a crash on Highway 99 near Jackson Road just outside the Ashland city limits. A small car driving up the hill lost control and hit a light pole. No one was injured, but one lane remained closed for more than an hour so utility crews could evaluate damage to the pole, District 5 Division Chief Darin Welburn said. Brandon Kester of Talent waits for a tow truck after he swerved off the road to avoid hitting other cars during Friday's multiple car accident on Interstate 5 southbound near the Bear Creek bridge in Ashland. Jim Craven - Jim Craven