HORROR ON INTERSTATE 5: One dead, many injured after 60-vehicle carnage due to fog
HALSEY, OREGON: Following a massive pileup involving 60 vehicles in Oregon when visibility was hindered by dense fog brought on by large wildfires in neighboring Washington state, one person has been confirmed dead. Drivers on Intestate 5 were blinded by lower visibility that came with a dense fog resulting from wildfires in Washington state.
At around 8 am on Wednesday, October 19 when the unusually dense fog brought on by smoke from burning wildfires enveloped Interstate 5, a huge pileup happened in the Willamette Valley close to Halsey, Oregon. At least three people were rushed to Good Samaritan Hospital and the Oregon State Police later verified that one person was killed in the collision as reported by Daily Mail. The number of drivers who were taken to Riverbend Hospital is still unclear. The status conditions of the injured are unknown as details of the massive stack-up are being updated by the authorities. At least 45 passenger cars and roughly 15-20 commercial motor vehicles needed to be removed from the scene, while traffic on Interstate 5 remained completely stopped with a detour in effect.
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Updated information as Interstate 5 northbound continues to be slow moving. https://t.co/ZyzSNWjpmx https://t.co/J4LAijD69Y pic.twitter.com/TZZHvkZ05o
— Oregon State Police (@ORStatePolice) October 19, 2022
Social media videos showed trapped drivers navigating the crumpled metal of their vehicles. As a result of the collision, semi-trucks carrying Hefe beer, chips and other food products had their contents spilling out on the road. The cable barrier has been temporarily removed by the Oregon Department of Transportation to divert traffic backed up on Interstate 5, according to the police. In order to help move 30 to 40 stranded drivers to Pioneer Villa at exit 216, school buses from Eugene arrived on the site. About 6 of the CMVs that are spilling fluids onto the road are receiving help from DEQ and HAZMAT. While men at work sweep the debris and clear the road for the traffic to flow, paramedics have been rounding off the wounded and treating their injuries.
The Washington State wildfires and the heavy humidity exacerbated the already hazy circumstances. As per the local weather predictions by Daily Mail, October 20 will be the last day of unusually high temperatures in Western Oregon. As drought patterns are made worse by climate change, dozens of wildfires have ravaged Western US states in recent years. As a result, trees and other vegetation have been dried out to be used as fuel because warm weather and strong winds are hazardous for the spread of flames.
