Apples aren't always good for you
Ralph Bartholdt Staff Writer | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 7 years, 1 month AGO
COEUR d’ALENE — Delivery of an eastbound load of apples was delayed early Tuesday when the fruit ended up in the westbound lane of Interstate 90, according to Idaho State Police.
The semi-trailer load of apples was pulled by an 18-wheeler that jackknifed on the snow-slick highway around 5:30 a.m. a few miles east of Coeur d’Alene near Mullan Trail Road. When the trailer disconnected, it jumped into the opposite traffic lane, ISP spokesman Tim Marsano said.
The crash resulted in a diesel spill, requiring clean-up efforts by the Idaho Transportation Department and Kootenai County Fire and Rescue.
No one was injured in the wreck that blocked the interstate for several hours. One eastbound and one westbound lane was opened for commuters by 8:15 a.m., Marsano said.
“It was a volatile situation,” he said.
The deluge of wet snow that started around 4 a.m. Tuesday in the central Panhandle slickened roadways and caused a series of traffic mishaps throughout North Idaho, according to ISP records.
Snow and rain showers throughout the morning and into early afternoon resulted in 16 slide-offs in the Panhandle’s District 1 and eight crashes involving property damage, Marsano said.
“That could be anything from a fender bender to a vehicle being totalled,” he said.
Of the 24 incidents, most occurred on U.S. 95 and I-90, and just one, on Highway 2 in Bonner County, resulted in injuries.
“It was a significant day for slide-offs and crashes,” Marsano said.
The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office responded to 12 crashes, five slide-offs and six additional traffic hazards between 4 a.m. and noon, and the Coeur d’Alene Police Department had two accidents and a slide-off, including a crash on the corner of Ramsey Road and Dalton Avenue involving a city plow truck.
The city vehicle turned west off Ramsey Road when it was struck in the rear by a pickup truck that failed to stop at the intersection, city streets and engineering director Tim Martin said.
“It slid through the intersection and struck the city truck on the back tires,” Martin said.
No damage was sustained by the city vehicle, he said. Martin was not sure if the pickup truck suffered property damage, or if anyone in the private vehicle was injured. No city employee suffered injuries.
Post Falls police reported five crashes, including a two-vehicle incident at the intersection of East Seltice and South Seele at 9:55 a.m., and one slide-off.
By afternoon the falling snow became a pulsing rain, turning streets into a stream of slush. Coeur d’Alene Police Capt. Dave Hagar said he hoped motorists would continue to drive defensively.
“With the rain this afternoon, we don’t want people to become complacent,” he said, “because the slush and standing water can be just as dangerous as the snow and ice.”
No further information on the Highway 2 crash was released by ISP before press time Tuesday.
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