Brake failure likely cause of tractor-trailer crash at Spooner Junction

A tractor-trailer rig slammed into four cars and overturned at the U.S. 395-U.S. 50 junction Monday after its brakes apparently overheated and failed as the rig came down from Spooner Summit. Nevada Highway Patrol Trooper Chuck Allen said north- and southbound lanes of U.S. 395 were closed for more than two hours until workers were able to clear the wreckage away.

Four people were taken to a local hospital for treatment of minor to moderate injuries, none of them life-threatening, Allen said. The truck driver, Nelson Ethier, 60, wasn't injured.

The accident remains under investigation. Allen said witnesses saw what appeared to be smoking brakes on the rig as it descended from Spooner Summit.