Several truck accidents continue to hit I90 due to hazardous conditions

The Montana Highway Patrol reported 34 incidents between Feb. 26 and Mar.5, as snow and icy conditions continue to sweep down Interstate 90 in Mineral County. Several incidents occurred on Sunday, Feb. 26, and on Saturday, Mar. 4 where higher elevations were hit with heavy snow fall. Especially hazardous conditions were reported on Lookout Pass.

There were several semi-trucks carrying food involved in incidents. These required Mineral County Sanitarian, Tim Read to respond for public safety reasons. He reported at a recent commissioners meeting that on Mar. 1, a black flatbed truck hauling cables lost control in the westbound lane near mile marker 30, past St. Regis around 9 a.m. The truck knocked out several concrete barrier dividers, pushing them into the eastbound lane.

One truck managed to maneuver around the barriers, but another truck slid off the road. A white AMA Logistics truck carrying Energy Star drinks to Butte, went off the road and was tilting at a 90 degree angle. It didn’t tip over, and the wrecker managed to pull it onto the road without further incident.

Another incident occurred on February 14, when a Lawrence Transportation Company truck hauling 38,000 pounds of Hormel Bacon went off the road. The driver was taken to the hospital, but there is no update on the extent of his injuries.

Frozen chicken was the victim in another incident which took place near Alberton on Feb. 26 near mile marker 26. The truck carrying a variety of frozen chicken products spilled on the Missoula-Mineral County line. The accident was in Missoula County, but boxes of chicken spilled over into Mineral County. The truck was towed into Missoula, and Read was told they would come back and clean up the boxes later. Roman Zylawy was on his way into Alberton and noticed several cars parked along the road, loaded boxes into their trunks.

Read said black ice and snow were the main cause for most of the accidents.