More than a dozen agencies and towing companies worked together throughout Monday and early Tuesday to clear Interstate 84 following a series of crashes that shut down the freeway.
The Oregon State Police along with several local agencies worked together throughout the night to get Interstate 84 open and cleared of vehicles. Troopers from the Pendleton and La Grande area commands, along with crews from several agencies worked all night to get more than 170 vehicles out of the 1.75 mile stretch of the interstate.
Uninjured persons who could not otherwise drive from the scene due to the blockage or damaged vehicles were transported to the Pendleton Convention Center for reunification. A local taxi company and a church provided vans to transport persons from the convention center to local hotels as needed.
A total of 71 people were transported from the crash scene to the reunification center via buses. Initial estimates indicate 17 patients were transported from the crash scene to the hospital with an additional two transported after having arrived at the reunification center.
There are still several sections of Interstate 84 with extreme winter road conditions, so traveling is still hazardous. If you don’t have to travel, OSP recommends staying home. If you do have to travel use www.tripcheck.com for road conditions or to find an alternate route.
