October 3, 2024 9:50 a.m. 

A log truck driver was taken to the hospital following an accident on Highway 42 on Tuesday afternoon.

An Oregon State Police report said at 12:20 p.m. the truck was towing a trailer with a full load of logs near the Douglas/Coos county line. The truck was eastbound when the driver apparently fell asleep, and the vehicles drifted into the guardrail. The logs became unsecure and rolled the trailer and tractor onto its passenger side.

The log truck came to an uncontrolled rest against the guardrail and the load of logs were ejected over the embankment into a creek. The 57-year-old operator of the truck was flown to Peace Health Sacred Heart Medical Center at Riverbend in Springfield with suspected serious injuries. The owner of the truck contacted a tow company and made arrangements to recover the logs from the creek.