A two-vehicle crash Thursday, Dec. 23, about 2 miles east of Valley City, North Dakota, resulted in traffic being impacted on Interstate 94 for over two hours, according to the North Dakota Highway Patrol.
The patrol said traffic was impacted with alternating lane closures for about 2 hours and 15 minutes while the accident scene was cleared.
Michael Steinke, 59, Hope, North Dakota, was driving a 2006 Chevrolet Silverado that was towing a 20-foot flatbed trailer at about 10:45 a.m. eastbound on I-94 in the right lane. The patrol said there was lumber in the bed of the Silverado and lumber on the flatbed trailer.
The patrol said Andre Lapchin, 59, Laval, Quebec, Canada, was driving a 2022 Freightliner towing a reefer trailer with a passenger, Victor Kuzmitsky, 64, Laval, Quebec, eastbound on I-94 and rear-ended the flatbed trailer.
The Freightliner came to rest disabled across both lanes of eastbound I-94, and the Silverado jackknifed and came to rest on the eastbound shoulder. The load of lumber spilled into the south ditch and onto the shoulder during the collision.
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No injuries were reported. Everyone was wearing a seat belt.
The patrol said Lapchin was cited for care required.
The Barnes County Sheriff's Office, Valley City Police Department and the North Dakota Department of Transportation also responded to the scene.
