At the Lake: Milk truck slams into motel

A Crystal Dairy Foods truck crashed into the Super 8 Motel on Highway 50 on Tuesday morning, spilling gas and milk onto the pavement and sending the driver to the hospital.

The driver was flown by helicopter to Renown Medical Center in Reno and was released from the hospital by midafternoon Tuesday, said Norm Findley, owner of Crystal Dairy Foods.

The accident occurred at 7 a.m. when the truck veered off the road at Herbert Avenue and Highway 50 near a bus stop and collided with the motel.

"It looks like the center post stopped him," said Pradip Patel, owner of the Super 8 Motel.

After the truck barged through the first two columns and hit the center post, it tipped over on its side, Patel said. The front end of the truck was smashed, and the right side ripped open.

South Lake Tahoe Police Officer Ric Martinez said the driver reported that someone cut him off, forcing him to leave the roadway.

The truck was raised upright around 9 a.m. to be towed, said Patel, who was informed of the accident when his front-desk clerk called him.