Four people involved in a two-vehicle crash on Thursday morning on the eastern edge of Philomath reportedly walked away with no serious injuries, law enforcement and emergency responders reported.
Philomath Police and Philomath Fire & Rescue were dispatched to the crash at 8:40 a.m., in a stretch of Main Street near the entrance/exit road to The Boulevard Apartments. Philomath Police Lt. Dave Gurski said a four-door Hyundai hatchback was turning left onto the highway to head east and was struck nearly head-on by a westbound refrigerated box truck.
“The driver of the sedan didn’t see the truck, pulled out right in front of it,” Gurski reported. “The box van struck the car and sent it probably over 200 feet westbound down the roadway where it came to rest on the north side of the road.”
The car ended up off the road on a pedestrian path, Gurski said.
The truck, which was hauling produce, went off the south side of Main Street and partially rolled over, ending up on its passenger side. The truck was partially blocking the bike path that connects Corvallis and Philomath.
“It’s getting to be that time of year where people have condensation on the windows and they’re not taking the time to let their car warm up and things like that,” Gurski said. “Sometimes visibility in the mornings is limited and we’ve got fog and that sort of thing. So, that can be kind of a dangerous spot if you’re trying to get somewhere in a hurry.”
Medics at the scene checked out those involved in the crash — each vehicle had two people inside — and reported no injuries. Medics returned a second time to examine a woman experiencing some abdominal pain. Transport via ambulance to the hospital was refused.
“Thankfully, nobody had any significant injuries,” Gurski said.
Two big rig tow trucks were called to the scene to help with the truck — one to get it tipped back over on its wheels. The passenger car also had to be towed.
The duration of the response lasted a little over two hours, Gurski estimated, with the road able to remain open to traffic in both directions. There was a delay of a few minutes toward the end of the operation when a Philomath Public Works street sweeper came in to remove glass.
Philomath Fire & Rescue’s response included a single engine with three personnel and an incident commander.