Trucker Loses His Life After Plunging Off of I-5 Bridge

Gold Hill, OR – A truck driver perished early Thursday morning after the big rig he was operating plunged off of an Interstate 5 bridge in southern Oregon.

Trucker Pavlo Hryzhuk, 21, of Citrus Heights, CA, was traveling southbound near exit ramp 45B when he lost control of his tractor-trailer at about 3:40 a.m., Oregon State Patrol (OSP) said.

Hryzhuk then drifted off of the bridge and plummeted to his death, investigators said.

“For unknown reasons the truck drifted to the right and collided with a large section of guardrail before traveling off a bridge and coming to rest on the roadway below. The truck came to rest on Twin Bridges Road, which is the access to Valley of the Rogue State Park,” OSP said.

Emergency crews pronounced Hryzhuk dead at the scene.

OSP investigators said they are “looking at the possibility of fatigue” as a contributing factor in the crash.

BREAKING: I’m at I-5 northbound exit 45B where a commercial truck crashed off the north end of the I-5 bridge on to Twin Bridges Rd. ODOT says it’s a confirmed fatal crash investigation. pic.twitter.com/0TdGHHpIwC
— Carsyn Currier (@CarsynKTVL) September 12, 2019