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Pedestrian identified in fatal semi crash Rip Van Winkle, of Corvallis, was killed Friday when ran right in front of a Freightliner semi on Interstate 5 near the Central Point exit. [OSP photo] Wednesday Mar 29, 2017 at 4:33 PM Mar 29, 2017 at 4:33 PM Nick Morgan Mail Tribune @mtcrimebeat Oregon State Police identified the pedestrian killed Friday on Interstate 5 near Central Point as 46-year-old Rip Van Winkle of Corvallis. According to initial reports, Van Winkle ran inside the southbound slow lane just past Exit 33 right in front of a red 2017 Freightliner semi towing a box trailer. The driver, Steve Glenn Pemberton of Red Bluff, California, attempted to stop but was unable to avoid colliding with Van Winkle.  First responders, including OSP trooper Zane Grout, Central Point police, Jackson County Fire District 3 and Mercy Flights, attended to Van Winkle, who was rushed to Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center before succumbing to his injuries. Prior to the crash, Van Winkle had parked and apparently abandoned his car in the Rogue River area, even though he didn't have family or other apparent connections there, according to OSP Sgt. Jeff Proulx. Van Winkle then walked down the freeway roughly 20 miles before he ran into the oncoming truck mere yards past the south Central Point freeway exit. It's unclear why he was headed so far south from Corvallis, according to Proulx. "There's going to be some unanswered questions," Proulx said. "Obviously he had some mental issues, things weren't going well." In 2009, Van Winkle was profiled in the Corvallis Gazette-Times, in part because of his unusual name. "I went to the doctor's office and the irony is incredible. My name is Rip Van Winkle and I can't sleep," he said in the 2009 story. In the story, Van Winkle said he moved to the Corvallis area from Eastern Oregon in 2008. A freeway lane was closed for more than two hours while the collision reconstruction team investigated the scene, causing traffic to back up approximately two miles at one point. The semi driver cooperated fully with investigators, Proulx said. — Reach reporter Nick Morgan at 541-776-4471 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @MTCrimeBeat.