Update | Highway 395 back open after semi truck crash in Kennewick
A flipped semi truck blocked the northbound lanes of Highway 395 near the Southridge area of Kennewick for three hours on Thursday morning.
The road reopened about 9:30 a.m. after tow trucks managed to move the semi and its load of light construction tubing out of the roadway leading north into the Tri-Cities.
The truck driver lost control on the curve and crashed shortly before 6:30 a.m.
Emergency crews took the driver, Christopher L. McGee, 50, of Derby, Kan, to nearby Trios Southridge Hospital with minor injuries, said Washington State Patrol Trooper Chris Thorson.
They also saved his cat.
Investigators believe McGee was heading north on the highway when he struck a barrier and the truck tipped over, said a WSP memo.
The state patrol expects to cite McGee with negligent driving.
Both northbound lanes were blocked until about 9:30 a.m. One southbound lane was blocked, but traffic is able to get past heading toward Oregon, Thorson tweeted.
The crash had traffic backed up from Ridgeline Drive to the intersection with 27th Avenue.
This story was originally published January 27, 2022 at 8:39 AM.