Surge in Crashes on I-84 Highlights Need for Safe Driving in Bad Conditions
By Joe Hathaway on Wednesday, October 4th, 2023 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
EASTERN OREGON — Not that it needs to be said, but driving in bad weather conditions can be dangerous.
That theme has been prevalent lately on I-84, which has seen an uptick of serious, sometimes deadly crashes in the past few weeks that have caused traffic on the freeway to come to a halt.
The most recent crash occurred on Tuesday, October 3 on Cabbage Hill. Oregon State Police say a semi- truck rolled over onto its side blocking both lanes of travel at milepost 222.
An approaching vehicle was unable to stop in time due to dense fog and collided with the truck. The two occupants of the passenger vehicle were transported to St. Anthony Hospital by the Umatilla Tribal Fire Department for treatment of minor injuries.
Westbound lanes of traffic were closed for four hours due to the crash.
This latest collison comes just days after a semi truck driver was killed near Cabbage Hill on Deadman Pass when his truck slammed into another semi.
That deadly crash followed a string of crashes in the same area in just the past two weeks, including a nasty pileup that involved nearly two dozen cars that snarled traffic on the freeway for hours.
All the crashes have been blamed on fog, low visibility and you guessed it, speed.
“Drivers need to be prepared for limited visibility and slow down. Especially if road surfaces might be slick due to mist, rain, snow or ice. Some of the recent crashes have occurred during fog,” said Tom Strandberg, Spokesman for the Oregon Dept. of Transportation. “In general, driving too fast for conditions and inattentive driving are main contributing factors in most crashes.”
With winter coming, drivers need to take extra precautions and pay attention when driving. More wind, rain, fog and snow is here or will be here, whether we like it or not.
For tips and information on driving in low visibility and winter conditions, visit https://www.oregon.gov/odot/pages/winter-driving.aspx
