Molalla Pioneer

By Abby Sewell
Molalla Pioneer

The scene of a commercial truck crash in Colton turned sticky when a shipping container filled with barrels of organic honey overturned on the side of Hunter Road.

A truck owned by BTS Container Service of Portland crashed at about 10 a.m. today while coming around a sharp corner heading downhill on the narrow road. Driver Jeremy Stelle, 30, of Portland was ejected after the truck crashed into two trees and came to a stop.

Residents of the property who heard the crash came to investigate and called 9-1-1. Colton Fire Department, Molalla Fire Department and Clackamas County Sheriff's Office personnel responded to the scene.

Colton Fire Chief Gary Anderson said Stelle, the only occupant of the vehicle, was breathing and conscious when the fire fighters arrived. He was transported to Oregon Health and Sciences University by LifeFlight, with a possible concussion and back injuries.

Stelle told fire department and CCSO personnel that he was lost and trying to find the I-5 interstate when he drove up Hunter Road and turned around to come back down.

“It seems that the brakes may have gone out,” Anderson said. “(Stelle) kept saying, ‘I could not stop this truck.’”

CCSO Deputy Mike Zacher said that speed was probably an issue and that Stelle was not wearing a seatbelt when the crash occurred.

He pointed to a white cross posted on a tree, commemorating a fatal crash that he investigated at the same spot in the mid-1990s.

He said that Hunter Road, which heads into U.S. Forest Service property, is the site of frequent accidents due to sharp turns and a lack of posted speed limits.

However, neither Zacher nor the residents of the property recalled having seen any other crashes on the stretch involving a commercial truck.

Zacher said it was unclear whether the truck was overloaded. The vehicle was licensed to carry 98,000 pounds and the shipping container was not filled to capacity. The truck manifest listing its freight could not be found on scene.

The transport company is now responsible for clearing the sticky mass of honey pooled on the side of the road.