Two drivers hit pieces of log splitter on I-84 in bizarre Baker County crash
By Joe Hathaway on Wednesday, December 13th, 2023 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
BAKER COUNTY – Two drivers on Interstate 84 were involved in a collision with parts of a log-splitting machine that were strewn across the freeway. The incident occurred the morning of December 8 near Milepost 340, approximately 36 miles southeast of Baker City, close to the Rye Valley exit.
According to reports from the Oregon State Police (OSP), the circumstances leading to the presence of metal fragments on the freeway remain unclear. The debris affected both the eastbound and westbound lanes of I-84.
Bryan Flores Elizondo, a 20-year-old resident of Nyssa, was one of the drivers involved in the incident. Elizondo’s vehicle struck debris around 7:23 a.m. while traveling westbound. The collision occurred on a curve with limited sight distance, resulting in pieces of the log splitter being propelled into the eastbound lanes.
Elizondo sustained injuries in the accident and was treated at St. Luke’s Hospital in Fruitland, Idaho, according to OSP.
The second driver, identified as Randy Jay Oldenkamp, 62, from Ontario, escaped the incident unharmed, as reported by the police. Oldenkamp’s vehicle collided with debris in the eastbound lanes not long after Elizondo’s initial impact.
OSP is actively investigating the incident, aiming to determine the origins of the log-splitter on the freeway.
