PHOTO COURTESY OF OSP
A tire blowout led to a one-vehicle rollover on Interstate 84 Thursday afternoon, injuring several people.
Among the seven people in the vehicle were three who apparently fled the scene, according to the Oregon State Police.
The accident occurred around 2:30 p.m. when a 1995 Ford Explorer traveling eastbound had a tire blow out and struck a dirt embankment, rolling several times.
Witness statements indicate at least two male adult passengers were ejected from the vehicle of which one came to rest in the westbound lanes of I-84. Passenger and witness statements also revealed the vehicle was occupied by seven people at the time of the crash. A total of four patients were transported to area hospitals by ground and air ambulance for treatment of injuries suffered during the crash and three of the occupants are believed to have fled the area on foot.
The male adult driver was transferred by air ambulance from St. Anthony’s Hospital to Kadlec Medical Center in Richland, Wash., for treatment of critical injuries. One of the ejected male adult passengers was transferred by air ambulance from St. Anthony’s Hospital to Oregon Health Sciences University for treatment of critical injuries.
One of the female adult passengers who left the crash scene was contacted at St. Anthony’s Hospital where she was receiving treatment and was subsequently arrested on an outstanding warrant after she was treated and released.
The Pendleton Police Department, Pendleton Fire and Rescue and the Oregon Department of Transportation assisted at the scene.
More information and the identities of the involved parties will be released as it becomes available.
