One person is dead and another suffered serious injuries Thursday morning after a four-vehicle crash closed traffic in both directions on I-5 north of Salem and south of the Aurora-Donald Interchange, according to Oregon State Police.
Police said officers responded to the crash at 5:26 a.m. on I-5 near milepost 277.
A black Volkswagen Golf driven by a 35-year-old man from Cascades Locks was heading northbound on I-5 behind a maroon Dodge Ram driven by a 59-year-old Salem man, according to a preliminary investigation, and for unknown reasons rear-ended the Dodge Ram at “highway speeds.” Police did not say how fast the Volkswagen was going at the time of the crash.
Police said the driver of the Dodge pickup lost control and spun across the freeway lanes. A 30-year-old Albany woman driving a silver Nissan Altima behind the Volkswagen and Dodge was unable to avoid the crash and hit the Dodge pickup, according to police.
Police said the Dodge and Volkswagen went across the cable barrier and into I-5 southbound lanes. A 31-year-old Dallas man, identified as Kenneth Lee Whelchel, was driving a silver Ford Ranger and was hit, causing him to lose control and crash into the barrier, police said. Whelchel’s truck came to a stop about a quarter mile down the freeway and Whelchel was pronounced dead at the scene.