Talking on a cell phone was a factor when a Vancouver man tipped his truck onto its side while rounding a highway curve Tuesday afternoon, police said.
According to the Washington State Patrol report, Sergey Ploschinskiy was at the wheel of a 2001 Peterbilt tractor-trailer heading west on state Highway 500 at about 1 p.m.
He took the exit to southbound Interstate 205 but was going too fast to negotiate the curve, the report said.
Ploschinskiy, 52, lost control of the truck and it tipped onto its left side. The vehicle came to rest on the westbound shoulder.
The driver was not injured, the report indicated. Damage to the truck was estimated at $10,000.
Ploschinskiy was cited for driving too fast and for talking on a cell phone.
Police seize credit card skimmer from gas pump
Vancouver police have recovered an illegal credit card skimming device from a convenience store gas pump, and are warning customers to be aware their credit or debit card information may have been stolen.
The device was recovered Monday afternoon from a gas pump at the 7-Eleven store at 5600 E. Fourth Plain Blvd., according to a police news release.
An employee was servicing pump No. 1 and discovered the device, which is used by thieves to intercept card information. The skimming device was plugged into the wiring behind the panel of the pump and was invisible to customers.
It would not affect a customer’s ability to complete a transaction to purchase gas, though it would grab and store the person’s card information.
The skimmer was seized as evidence, and an investigator from the Vancouver Police Digital Evidence Crime Unit will examine it.
Police don’t know how long the device was on the pump or if any intercepted card information was downloaded by the person who placed it there.
The other gas pumps were checked and no other devices were found.
Anyone who used pump No. 1 over the past few months should check his or her credit/debit card statement for any unauthorized charges. Victims should notify the Vancouver Police Department and also the card issuer.
According to the news release, these types of devices are becoming more common. Merchants with gas pumps, as well as banks and other retail merchants, should be diligent in the oversight and maintenance of any card-reading machine that could be tapped.
Smoke reported at Sifton school
The odor of smoke coming from some heating vents in the gymnasium Tuesday prompted a short evacuation of Sifton Elementary School, 7301 N.E. 137th Ave. The incident happened shortly before noon.
Vancouver firefighters responded.
A furnace in a rear area of the gym malfunctioned, said Firefighter-spokesman Jim Flaherty. There was no fire and no one was injured.
Children were initially evacuated from the entire school, but were quickly let back into a separate building on the campus, where they could get warm.
