Geographical Index > United States > Idaho > Shoshone County > Report # 23521
(Class A)
Submitted by witness on Saturday, April 5, 2008.
Parked trucker has frightening early morning encounter off I-90 near Wallace
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YEAR: 1996
SEASON: Summer MONTH: May DATE: or,june STATE: Idaho COUNTY: Shoshone County LOCATION DETAILS: going east bound NEAREST TOWN: wallace, idaho NEAREST ROAD: off I-90on the last forest service road before wallace,ID OBSERVED: i was truck driving for swift transportation in 1996 it was early summer i was on I-90 just before wallace idaho it was about 3:00 am and i thought id get a few hrs of sleep so i pulled of of the freeway on the forest service off ramp left my sleeper windows open laid there about 15-20 min. the truck was shut off then i heard and felt big hands grab the cab and sleeper bars and shook the truck about 2 times then 3 times just short gentle shakes then a semi truck started rocking side to side like it was a rag doll i jumped up and quickly looked out of the passengers side window just in time to see a dark reddish brown creature take 2 strides into the young douglas fir trees and it was gone, the only thing was i was parked about 20 to 30 feet from the tree line i was so shook up i drove to billings mt. before i would sleep once more , if there are any more questions i would be glad to talk to someone over the phone. ALSO NOTICED: bad odor and i could hear it when it left and took afew steps then all was quiet ,and i left in a big hurry OTHER WITNESSES: just my self OTHER STORIES: none TIME AND CONDITIONS: warm summer day no rain no wind and not an earth tremmor ENVIRONMENT: north west forrest mountains
Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Nancy L. Jones:
I spoke with the witness over the phone and learned some additional details. He is a native of the Pacific Northwest and has worked as both a logger and a trucker. He has spent a great deal of time in the outdoors and is familiar with the native animals (their physical characteristics, calls and typical behavior).
The witness was driving a tall Freightliner FLD 120, with a sleeper compartment that contains two queen size beds and is tall enough for a man to stand upright. As he was traveling alone, he had the upper queen bed folded up and was resting on the lower bunk.
The night was very quiet and he did not hear any noises as his truck was approached. He was entering a light sleep when he felt something push gently against the side of the cab near the sleeper. Twice the truck was shaken softly. Then the third time a great deal of force was applied, causing the sleeper to rock violently from side to side almost as if something was trying to see if the truck could be tipped over. At this point, the witness uttered something like "what the heck is going on!" and jumped up to look out the passenger cab window. He must have startled the shaker, because he saw the back of a large upright animal retreating into the thick stand of young trees (25-30 feet tall) about fifteen feet away from the truck. The truck lights were off and the only light source was the moon. This allowed the witness to see the shape and size, but not many other details. The animal was heavy-set, much taller than a normal man and covered all over with dark brown hair that seemed to have a reddish tinge. It only took two steps to reach the tree line and moved very quickly and easily for such a large individual.
Without even getting dressed, the witness jumped into the driver's seat and let off the air brakes to hopefully scare the animal. As he started the truck and began to pull away, he heard crashing sounds as if the animal was moving off into the forest. He then drove to the first rest stop in Montana before he felt safe to stop again. He examined his truck in the morning and found no marks of any kind. It had recently been washed, so there was no dust or dirt to be disturbed.
The witness recounted how unnerving the experience was and how all the hair on his back and shoulders stood on end. His truck was too large and heavy for a man to rock it back and forth so violently. The animal also had to have hands to grab the truck (probably the door handles) and not leave any scratches or marks (like a bear would leave).
This encounter is within fifty miles of another nighttime encounter by a trucker on this same road, Interstate 90, BFRO Report #10012.
About BFRO Investigator Nancy L. Jones:
Nancy L. Jones is an M.B.A., presently doing occasional special projects for her husband's business and being a full-time mom. Formerly she worked as an IT Project Manager for Hewlett-Packard. She attended the 2007 Central Oregon Expedition.
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