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Tuesday morning crash on I-84 injures three people, damages light pole;
valuable painting survives unscathed

A crash of a semi-truck and trailer early Tuesday morning (Jan. 28) on eastbound Interstate 84, at milepost 51, just west of the Orchard exit in Boise, injured three people, but caused no fatalities or serious injuries. The truck was transporting a single painting estimated to be worth approximately $2 million to a museum. The painting was not damaged in the crash.

A light pole was dislodged by an unknown motorist earlier and fell across the road. The semi hit the fallen luminaire and damaged its steering axle. The semi then crashed through a solid guardrail barrier, crossed over the center median to the other side of the road, and came to rest against the sound wall on the westbound side of the highway. The semi spilled diesel fuel onto the interstate in the location of the crash.

"We were lucky that not much fuel was lost," said ITD's Richard Peryer, Boise Maintenance foreman. "One of the truck's fuel tanks managed to stay intact through the accident."

An ITD maintenance crew assisted with traffic control and clearing damaged rail, broken concrete, the broken luminaire pole and other crash debris from the roadway.

Both eastbound and westbound lanes of travel were blocked as crews worked to clear the scene. The eastbound lanes were blocked for approximately 90 minutes, and the westbound lanes were blocked for approximately two hours.

ITD crews will repair damage caused by the crash Tuesday (Feb. 4) from 2 a.m. to 10 a.m. The work will require closing the inside (left) lane of eastbound and westbound I-84. The insurance company held liable in the crash will pay for the repairs, expected to cost approximately $12,000.