A semi-trailer pokes out from the side of Okasan Japanese Restaurant in Port Angeles after the driverless vehicle rolled into a nearby parked pickup truck and careened into the restaurant Friday, Sept. 25, 2020. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)

A semi-trailer pokes out from the side of Okasan Japanese Restaurant in Port Angeles after the driverless vehicle rolled into a nearby parked pickup truck and careened into the restaurant Friday, Sept. 25, 2020. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)

Semi rolls into pickup, eatery

Brakes fail on parked truck

PORT ANGELES — A bystander sustained minor injuries when the air brakes on a tractor-trailer apparently suffered a “colossal failure,” causing the driverless rig to roll down a hill from Thurman Supply into the side of Okasan Japanese Restaurant.

Port Angeles Police Officer Mike Johnson said the tractor penetrated the side of the restaurant building for three or four feet into a lobby and bathroom area Friday afternoon.

Johnson said there were no customers in the restaurant, but there were some employees inside and all avoided injury.

Okasan owners or managers could not be reached for comment.

According to Johnson, the driver of the tractor-trailer, which was from Reddaway Trucking in Tacoma, had stopped at Thurman Supply on East Front Street at about 2 p.m. to make a delivery. He locked the air brakes to both the tractor and the trailer, Johnson reported.

The trailer was nearly empty, Johnson said, because the driver had been making deliveries all day. While he was in the trailer the air brakes on the front tractor failed for some reason. With no weight in the back of the trailer, the trailer brakes were not able to stop the entire rig from rolling. The rig began rolling down a steep hill toward an alley and Okasan Restaurant.

A couple who had parked a Ford pickup perpendicular to the tractor-trailer had just exited their pickup to look at some pallets at Thurman Supply, Johnson said. The tractor hit the Ford pickup and pushed it partly down the hill, then spun it 90 degrees. When the pickup spun, it knocked down the male driver of the pickup.

A pickup truck sits behind caution tape after it was struck by a runaway semi-trailer in Port Angeles. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)

A pickup truck sits behind caution tape after it was struck by a runaway semi-trailer in Port Angeles. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)

Meanwhile, the driver of the tractor-trailer was in the trailer of his rig.

“He thought it was an earthquake. He had no idea what was happening. He threw himself onto a pallet to ride it out,” Johnson said.

The truck continued rolling slowly about 40 or 50 feet until it struck the side of the restaurant, also on East Front Street.

The pickup driver was taken to Olympic Medical Center in Port Angeles to be evaluated. He was treated and released for minor injuries, Johnson said. Johnson said the State Patrol is handling the official report and identities could not be released until the report is done.

Traffic was reported to have been snarled for hours.

Johnson said it was fortunate that the brakes failed while the truck was parked.

“If that had happened (while he was driving) on Front Street, that could have been a mass casualty event,” he said. “The way it occurred had the lowest volume of damage.”

________

Sports Editor Pierre LaBossiere can be reached at plbossiere@peninsuladailynews.com.

More in News

Peninsula College nursing students, from left, Emily Haddock of Lewiston, Idaho, Jordan Hegtvedt of Sequim and Chaela Cashman of Port Angeles adjust each other’s mortar boards in preparation for commencement ceremonies on Saturday on the college’s Port Angeles campus. A total of 328 students were expected to take part in two ceremonies with 530 students eligible for diplomas and certificates for the 2024-25 academic year. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
Graduation prep

Peninsula College nursing students, from left, Emily Haddock of Lewiston, Idaho, Jordan… Continue reading

Next steps outlined in Olympic Medical Center process

CEO: Update on status will be ‘coming soon’

Cooling centers would extend hours, if needed

Summer forecast calls for warmer, smokier conditions, public health specialist says

Elwha River bridge set to be demolished

Clallam commissioners receive road construction updates

Sequim city staff are considering next options for a house and various outbuildings in Gerhardt Park after a recent surplus auction resulted in no bids. (Matthew Nash/Olympic Peninsula News Group)
Sequim considers options for house in park

Public provided no bids during process that ended June 6

Three injured following crash near Forks

Three people were injured following a two-car collision on state… Continue reading

Power outage scheduled for West End customers

Clallam County Public Utility District No. 1 has announced a… Continue reading

Chimacum High School senior Jesse Daniels takes crazy cell phone photos of his classmates while waiting to march to the gym for his graduation ceremony at Chimacum High on Saturday. (Steve Mullensky/for Peninsula Daily News)
Lasting memories

Chimacum High School senior Jesse Daniels takes crazy cell phone photos of… Continue reading

Cadence Harlan and Sophia Petta lead their class of 99 Port Townsend High School graduating seniors through the Rhododendron Garden at Fort Worden State Park on Friday for their graduation ceremony at McCurdy Pavilion. (Steve Mullensky/for Peninsula Daily News)
Graduation walk

Cadence Harlan and Sophia Petta lead their class of 99 Port Townsend… Continue reading

Boys & Girls Clubs of the Olympic Peninsula
Carrie Blake Community Park, pictured last summer, returns as a Summer Meal Program destination through the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Olympic Peninsula and the Department of Agriculture. Meals are offered to children ages 1-18 from noon to 12:30 p.m. in the park on weekdays, except July 4, through Aug. 27.
Free student meals programs start in Port Angeles, Sequim

The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Olympic Peninsula has launched its… Continue reading

Security exercise set for Wednesday at Indian Island

Naval Magazine Indian Island will conduct a security training… Continue reading

Carissa Guiley of Silverdale, left, along with daughters Mia Guiley, 5, and Evelyn Guiley, 8, peer over a rocky bluff at a sea stack in Crescent Bay on Saturday near Port Crescent. The family was on an outing at Salt Creek County Recreation Area. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
What’s over the edge?

Carissa Guiley of Silverdale, left, along with daughters Mia Guiley, 5, and… Continue reading