A North Dakota woman lost her life Tuesday in multi-vehicle crash on Highway 11.
According to the Oregon State Police, a 2008 Ford Explorer operated by Kalli Rae Thompson, 27, of Bismarck, N.D., was traveling northbound near milepost 8 when for an unknown reason, her vehicle entered the southbound lane and sideswiped a southbound 2016 commercial truck and trailer operated by Dmitriy L. Ryabchinskiy, 39, of Vancouver, Wash. During the initial collision with the truck, the rear dual wheels of the trailer were torn off. A second commercial motor vehicle traveling southbound struck debris from the Explorer. The Explorer then traveled off the south shoulder of the roadway and rolled onto its top.
Thompson was partially ejected during the collision and pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of both commercial motor vehicles were uninjured in the collision.
A hazardous materials team responded to the scene of the crash due a diesel spill that occurred during the collision. The roadway was shut down for several hours to allow for scene investigation and removal of the crashed vehicles.
The Oregon State Police was assisted at the scene by the Oregon Department of Transportation, Umatilla Tribal Police, Pendleton Fire and Medics, Helix Fire, and the Hermiston Regional Hazmat Team.
