Semi plunges off cliff

Published 8:49 am Wednesday, June 20, 2007

INDEX – Workers pulled a mangled semi-truck and trailer from the Skykomish River on Tuesday that had plunged over a 150-foot cliff, leaving the driver dead.

The accident snarled traffic from late Monday night through early Tuesday afternoon on U.S. 2 between Index and Baring.

The truck’s driver, Sekhon Kuldip, 35, of Surrey, B.C., died at the scene, Washington State Patrol trooper Kirk Rudeen said.

The truck’s load of apples and cherries, and wreckage from the accident, littered the embankment and river.

Crews spent 15 hours working with cranes and other heavy equipment to pull the semi and trailer from the river.

Divers from the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office found the body inside the cab following the accident. But because of the damage to the semi, workers had to remove the truck out of the river first on Tuesday morning and recover the body later, Rudeen said.

“It’s difficult to work in,” he said. “It’s also dangerous for divers.”

Around 11 p.m. Monday, Kuldip apparently missed a curve on U.S. 2 a few miles east of Index and ran into the eastbound lane, Rudeen said.

The truck then crashed over the top of a concrete barrier and rolled down a rocky steep embankment. The truck and trailer fell about 150 feet into the river, Rudeen said.

The semi and trailer were fully submerged. The cause of the accident is under investigation, Rudeen said.

The highway remained closed into Tuesday afternoon. It reopened about 2:30 p.m., said Travis Phelps, a spokesman for the state Department of Transportation.

During the closure of the two-lane highway, westbound traffic was diverted east of Leavenworth to Highway 97 and I-90. Eastbound traffic was diverted at Monroe and I-90.

About a dozen westbound trucks had waited near the accident site for U.S. 2 to reopen, said Washington State Patrol Sgt. Harlan Jackson Jr.

Diane and Duane Hudson were headed west on U.S. 2, but got stuck with the closure on Tuesday morning. They parked their RV and took out bikes to ride up to the accident to see what was going on.

The Anacortes couple was going home after spending a vacation in Lake Chelan.

“We don’t plan to spend a night here,” Diane Duane said.

They were waiting for U.S. 2 to reopen, the retired couple said. Taking I-90 would add several extra hours of driving and gallons of gas for them.

“We are not in a hurry,” Diane Duane said.