A serious crash involving two trucks closed Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway for almost five hours overnight Tuesday and sent three men to the hospital.

Salem police responded to a crash between a semitruck with a trailer and a pickup truck with a camper trailer, spokesman Sgt. Jonathan Hardy said. The vehicles collided on the parkway north of Northeast Broadway Avenue.

The pickup truck overturned and caught fire. Firefighters had to rescue multiple people who were trapped in vehicles, Hardy said. Both vehicles had significant damage.

The pickup’s 48-year-old driver had serious injuries and was taken to Salem Hospital, then transferred to a Portland hospital.

The semitruck’s 53-year-old driver was also serious injured, and a 48-year-old passenger in the pickup sustained minor injuries. Both were taken to Salem Hospital.

The crash was reported around 10:30 p.m. Monday, dispatch records show.

Police closed the road in both directions between Northeast Cherry Avenue and Northeast Broadway Street until about 3:25 a.m.

Hardy said he didn’t have information about the cause of the crash.

This story was updated Monday, Oct. 14, at 1:06 p.m. with additional information.

STORY TIP OR IDEA? Send an email to Salem Reporter’s news team: [email protected].

A MOMENT MORE, PLEASE– If you found this story useful, consider subscribing to Salem Reporter if you don’t already. Work such as this, done by local professionals, depends on community support from subscribers. Please take a moment and sign up now – easy and secure: SUBSCRIBE.

Salem Reporter