Semitruck crash closes lane of northbound I-5

One person was injured Thursday in a semitruck crash about five miles north of Woodland, according to Washington State Patrol.

The truck, hauling a trailer loaded with Coca-Cola products, was traveling north on the freeway at Milepost 26 around 8:35 a.m. Thursday when the driver, identified as 35-year-old Jeremiah J. Carabello, started choking on a swig of energy drink that went down his windpipe, according to troopers.

The choking reportedly caused Carabello to lose consciousness, and the truck went off the freeway to the right, struck a guardrail and came to rest on its side in a ditch, troopers said.

An estimated 100 gallons of diesel spilled from a ruptured fuel tank after the crash.   

Workers with Carabello’s company responded and unloaded the cargo onto another truck, which took about four to five hours. The right lane of the freeway in the area of the crash was closed by Washington State Department of Transportation workers while they cleaned up the scene.

The lane closure is expected to last into the evening, said State Patrol spokesman Will Finn.

Carabello was taken to the hospital. His injuries were not believed to be life-threatening.