Columbia River Spill: Trailer of Apples Floats Away In Eastern Washington

MATTAWA, WA - It might be the sweetest spill the Columbia River has ever endured.

A truck carrying apples crashed along an Eastern Washington highway and tumbled into the Columbia River - and the cargo just floated away down the river.

Washington State Patrol reported the accident on its blog Monday. The truck was driving along State Route 243 - which runs between Vantage and the Hanford Reach National Monument - on Monday and was apparently going too fast for the conditions. The truck was driving along a curvy section of the road in snow and slush, state police said.

The truck hit a guardrail and slid down an embankment into the Columbia River. The cab of the truck was partially submerged, but stayed on the shore. The trailer, however, floated away down the river toward the Priest Rapids Dam in Mattawa.

The driver did suffer serious "but non-life threatening injuries" state police said.

State troopers and the Grand County Public Utility District used boats to wrangle the trailer. Around 5 p.m. Monday, authorities had pulled the cab from the river and were anticipating pulling the trailer out subsequently.

”Slow down and drive for the weather conditions,” Washington State Patrol spokesman Trooper Brian Moore said. ” These types of collisions are preventable.”

Image via Washington State Patrol