I-5 Crash Sends Four to Hospital, Closes Freeway7/21 A three-car pileup closed I-5 near Albany and sent four people to the hospitalJULY 22, 2010 -- UPDATE: Six people were injured Wednesday afternoon when the van they were traveling in collided into the back of a pickup being towed by a motorhome northbound Interstate 5 in the Albany area. Oregon State Police (OSP) troopers are continuing the investigation into the crash that closed the northbound lanes about 90 minutes.
According to OSP Trooper Ray Stallsworth, on July 21, 2010 at approximately 4:20 p.m. a 1995 Chevrolet van driven by LELA F. ANDREWS, age 57, from Scio, was northbound in the left lane of Interstate 5 near milepost 232 when it came upon heavy, slowing congested traffic. ANDREWS tried to change lanes to avoid the congested traffic but was unable to safely do so and collided into the back of a pickup being towed by a 2003 Holiday motorhome with two occupants. The motorhome pulling the pickup was traveling less than 10 mph when involved in the collision.
After the initial impact the van rolled an undetermined number of times before coming to rest in the left lane and inside center median. The motorhome and pickup came to a stop in the right northbound lane.
ANDREWS and five other van occupants, including four minor children, were transported to various hospitals with undisclosed injuries believed to be non-life threatening. The other occupant names are not available for this release.
The motorhome's driver FORREST K. KEELER, age 54, from Coos Bay, and his unidentified passenger were not injured.
OSP troopers from the Albany Area Command office are continuing the investigation.
Linn County Crash Team, Albany Fire Department, Linn County Sheriff's Office, Lebanon Police Department, Reach Air Ambulance, and ODOT assisted at the scene.
-- Oregon State Police press release
JULY 21, 2010 -- A three-car pileup on Interstate 5 near Albany yesterday closed the freeway and sent four people to the hospital with injuries. The crash occurred around 5 p.m. near the I-5 interchange with Hwy. 20.
Lt. Tom Worthy with the Oregon State Police.
Then another car rear-ended the towed vehicle. One of the cars tipped over and blocked both northbound lanes.
A Life Flight helicopter landed on the freeway and several ambulances and fire trucks were spotted in the area. Still no word on the extent of the four injuries.
The freeway was closed in the northbound direction for about an hour-and-a-half. Traffic stacked up for several miles. Northbound traffic was rerouted at the Corvallis exit and then to Highway 99E to get around the crash.
While the southbound lanes were open, traffic still slowed to crawl and people watched the scene from across the freeway median.
ODOT reopened a single northbound lane of I-5 by about 6:30pm.
-- Eric Dye
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