A beer truck and a minivan crashed at the intersection of Philomath Boulevard and Southwest Country Club Drive on the west end of Corvallis Friday afternoon, Philomath Fire and Rescue reported.
The incident occurred at about 2:03 p.m. near the border of the Corvallis Rural Fire District and the Philomath Fire District. Coincidentally, the crash took place just ahead of Philomath Fire Chief Chancy Ferguson, who was traveling west toward his station.
“He radioed for a full MVC (motor vehicle collision) dispatch with an ambulance,” Deputy Fire Chief Rich Saalsaa said, who was among those responding. “Chief Ferguson, hearing that Corvallis was low on units, requested the dispatch of Philomath units who were the closest responders.”
Saalsaa said the beer truck stopped at the Shonnard’s parking lot where Corvallis Fire personnel checked on the status of the driver. The van came to rest on the offramp to Country Club from Philomath Boulevard.
“The van was left undrivable,” Saalsaa said. “The male driver was examined on scene and had only minor injuries.”
The driver of the van refused medical transport. The status of the beer truck driver was unknown but there was also no medical transport.
In addition to Ferguson and Saalsaa, four other Philomath personnel responded after just finishing a call in town. Other crew members were at Station 201 on Main Street in Philomath to cover if any other calls came in, Saalsaa said.
Philomath Fire and Rescue helped with stemming the flow of fluids from the minivan. No beer from the truck was spilled on the roadway, Saalsaa said. The scene was turned over to the Corvallis Police Department. Philomath Police also responded early on to the incident.
Country Club Drive was closed to traffic for approximately 30 minutes while a tow truck was dispatched to pick up the minivan.