BAKER CITY — A truck driver from Idaho was killed Monday evening, Sept. 6 on Interstate 84 in Baker County when an axle with dual tires detached from a flatbed trailer being towed by another truck driving the opposite direction, bounced across the concrete barrier in the center of the freeway and crashed into the windshield of his truck.

James Green, 50, of Caldwell, was killed, according to Oregon State Police.

The incident, which closed the freeway for about six hours, happened at about 6:40 p.m. on I-84 near Milepost 338, about 34 miles southeast of Baker City near the Lookout Mountain exit.

According to OSP, Hassen Ibrahim, 38, of Dublin, Ohio, was driving a commercial truck westbound, towing a flatbed trailer.

The axle broke loose from beneath the trailer and went airborne. Green was driving his truck in the eastbound lanes, and the tires landed on the cab and windshield of his truck.

According to OSP, Ibrahim stopped his truck, chained up the broken axle and continued driving west. OSP troopers located him in Baker City. OSP didn’t release any more information about troopers’ encounter with Ibrahim.

Neither Ibrahim nor his passenger, Mohamed Kulale, 61, was hurt.

OSP troopers are asking anyone who saw the incident, and who haven’t been interviewed, to contact OSP and reference case SP21-256040.

Also, witnesses reported seeing a white male in a commercial truck stop and talk with Ibrahim. Troopers also want to find and interview that driver as part of OSP’s ongoing investigation.