POLICE: Truck Driver Was On Meth in Fatal Accident

Oregon State Police arrested the California commercial truck driver who hit and killed another trucker on the Siskiyou Summit Thursday afternoon.

The victim was struck while outside of his parked commercial truck on the northbound shoulder of Interstate 5 about four miles north of the Oregon/California border of the Siskiyou Pass.

OSP Lt. Brian Powers reported this morning that Daniel Clarey, age 54, from Long Beach, Calif., was lodged in Jackson County Jail for criminally negligent homicide, driving under the influence of drugs, and unlawful possession of a controlled substance  -- methamphetamine.

RELATED COVERAGE: OSP/ODOT Safety Check Takes Truckers Off The Road

The arrest stemmed from an investigation following the accident, which occurred at 3:38 p.m. Thursday.

Kelly Linhart, age 52, from Blodgett, Ore., had stopped his 2005 Volvo commercial truck and semi-trailer off the northbound shoulder of I-5 near milepost 4 and was outside of his vehicle examining the truck and trailer. The Siskiyou Summit is a common stopping point for truckers, who inspect their vehicles for problems before descending the steep grades into Ashland heading north and California heading south.

As Linhart was walking toward the front of the truck, a northbound 1996 Freightliner truck driven by Clarey struck the semi-trailer's left rear side and glanced along the side of the trailer and truck.  Linhart apparently attempted to move out from the front of the truck and was struck by the Freightliner.  Linhart was pronounced deceased at the scene.

A truck driver who witnessed the wreck told KTVL that he had to take action to avoid Clarey's truck, which was weaving prior to the crash.

Clarey was not injured.

OSP troopers from the Central Point Area Command office, with the assistance of the Serious Traffic Accident Reduction (STAR) interagency team, are continuing the investigation.  The STAR team is comprised of representatives from OSP, Jackson County District Attorney's Office, Jackson County Sheriff's Office, Medford Police Department and Ashland Police Department.

ODOT and Ashland Towing assisted at the scene.  The right lane and shoulder on the northbound side of I-5 was closed more than 4 hours.

CLICK HERE TO COMMENT ON THIS STORY