TROUTDALE, Ore. — Five people died in three separate crashes across the northern part of the state Tuesday, as much of Oregon grappled with high winds and heavy rain. All three crashes involved a tree falling onto moving vehicles.
At around 2:06 p.m., a tree fell onto the passenger side of a pickup truck towing a U-Haul dolly trailer on I-84 at milepost 40 near Bonneville. The passenger, 20-year-old Paula Chamu Sanchez of Baker City, was killed. The driver, 43-year-old Rick Williams of Baker City, was taken to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center. OSP did not report Williams' medical status.
The crash shut down the eastbound lane of I-84 between Troutdale and the Eagle Creek exit. The freeway was shut down for about four hours Tuesday before it reopened around 6:30 p.m.
1 dead in crash on Highway 26 in Wasco County
A driver was killed on Highway 26 near milepost 64 in Wasco County, about nine miles southeast of Government Camp, when a large tree fell onto the commercial motor vehicle he was driving Tuesday afternoon.
The crash happened around 3:26 p.m., OSP reported. The driver, 53-year-old James Darron Lyda on Prineville, lost control of the vehicle, which left the highway and crashed. Lyda was killed in the crash, according to OSP.
The highway was closed about three hours.
3 dead in crash on Highway 26 in Clatsop County
Three people were killed on Highway 26, near milepost 15.5 in Clatsop County, about 15 miles east of Cannon Beach, when a large tree fell onto a pickup truck driving east on Tuesday morning.
The driver, 19-year-old Justin Nolasco Pedraza, of Seaside, and two passengers, 41-year-old Bonifacio Olvera Nolasco, also of Seaside, and a four-year-old girl, were all killed in the crash.
The highway was closed for about five hours.
Previous closures on I-84
Due to winter weather and subsequent crashes, I-84 has been closed multiple times within the last week. Last Tuesday, the driver of a semi-truck hit and killed someone near Rooster Rock State Park amid icy conditions, then a second semi hit the first. The crash resulted in a temporary closure of the interstate for the response and investigation.
Then, as a major winter storm moved into Oregon on Thursday night, the Oregon Department of Transportation shut down all lanes of I-84 between Troutdale and Hood River.
That closure lasted until Saturday afternoon as things began to improve, though the Columbia River Gorge continued to see difficult conditions. The National Weather Service issued an Ice Storm Warning for the Gorge from midnight Sunday until 4:00 a.m. on Tuesday.
The overall warming trend that began Saturday brought a brief reprieve to the region after that winter storm, but it was replaced Monday by another storm system — this one bringing heavy rain and high winds, resulting in flooding and downed trees. Those conditions continued into Tuesday evening.
