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Wild storm batters region Young bike rider killed By Joanna Collins Crashing lightning, heavy rain and strong winds throughout the Rogue Valley on Friday contributed to an afternoon of chaos and possibly the death of a 10-year-old boy. Officials said the storm left thousands without power, sparked fires and forced cancellation of several outdoor and cultural events. At 4:19 p.m., a semi-truck pulling a trailer hit a Medford boy, Steven Travis Neumann, who was crossing the street in the northwest corner of the McAndrews Road and Court Street intersection. "There�s indications that the traffic signals may have been out due to a lightning storm," said Lt. Tim George of the Medford Police Department. Apparently the truck driver, Lloyd S. Lucas of Foster�s International Wood Products, was turning right onto McAndrews when Steven started crossing the street on his bicycle, said police. Steven was transported to the Rogue Valley Medical Center, but efforts to save him were unsuccessful. Police are still investigating and would like any witnesses to contact Sgt. Bob Hansen at 774-2273. The torrential storm also caused several other power outages throughout the Rogue Valley. Thousands were left without electricity at various points during the storm. Crews from Pacific Power were able to restore most major outages by 5 p.m., according customer business manager Claudia Steinbroner. Fires at smaller transformers and a problem with a large substation transformer in White City contributed to the problem. At 9 p.m., Steinbroner said there were only about 50 customers left without power. "We�re just mopping up the mess," she said. Steinbroner compared restoring power to putting out brush fires, which were also an issue of the late afternoon storm. It sparked several reports of small lightning fires or smoke throughout the valley. More than an inch of rain fell in parts of western Jackson County and marble-size hail pelted gardens and fruit trees. Communications between police and fire agencies were also made difficult by the storm. "We�ve certainly had a busy Friday evening due to the weather caused power outages," said George. "It continues to be a busy night tonight for both Medford police and Medford fire." Officials at the National Weather Service said there is only a slight chance of thunder storms today. Weather is expected to return to normal Sunday with chances of thunderstorms in the mountains Monday. Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA