A four-vehicle crash left one person dead, several injured and I-5 blocked near the Aurora-Donald exit Thursday through the morning.
On Thursday, Aug. 22, at 5:26 a.m., Oregon State Police responded to a four-vehicle crash on I-5 near milepost 277. The accident would close the freeway for nearly six hours and force detours that snarled traffic along Hwy. 99E through Canby, Aurora and Woodburn.
The preliminary investigation indicated a black Volkswagen Golf, operated by Christopher Lee Connely (age 35) of Cascade Locks, was traveling northbound on I-5 behind a maroon Dodge Ram operated by Robert Allen Morton (age 59) of Salem.
For an unknown reason, the Volkswagen rear-ended the Dodge pickup truck at highway speeds, causing the Dodge to lose control and spin across the travel lanes. A silver Nissan Altima, operated by Julia Cesar Garcia (age 30) of Albany, traveling behind the Volkswagen and Dodge, could not avoid the crash and collided with the Dodge.
Both the Dodge and Volkswagen continued across the cable barrier into the southbound lanes of I-5. A silver Ford Ranger, operated by Kenneth Lee Whelchel (age 31) of Dallas, traveling southbound, was struck. The Ranger’s operator lost control, crashed into the barrier, and came to a stop about one-quarter mile down the highway.