A Fargo man avoided injury when the 1999 Freightliner semitrailer he was driving hit a light pole early Tuesday morning.
Matthew Kalinowski, 29, was traveling east on the eastbound on-ramp to Interstate 94 at exit 64 east of Dickinson at 4:30 a.m. Kalinowski turned his head away from the roadway. When he turned his head back toward the road, he saw he was driving off the roadway into the south ditch.
Upon entering the south ditch, Kalinowski's vehicle struck a light pole, knocking it down. After knocking down the light pole, Kalinowski's vehicle continued eastbound in the ditch.
The vehicle came to a brief stop before it slid south down the embankment of the ditch. As it was sliding down the embankment, it jackknifed before striking a barbed-wire fence. The vehicle came to rest facing northeast, the lead trailer came to rest facing southeast and the last trailer came to rest facing east.
The truck sustained an estimated $8,000 in damages. Road conditions were reported as wet and the weather was rainy and windy.
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The light pole sustained an estimated $1,000 in damages.
Kalinowski faces charges of care required and was not wearing a seatbelt.
Responding agencies included the North Dakota Highway Patrol.
