Law enforcement officials say a suspected drunk driver driving the wrong way caused a collision Monday on Interstate 84 west of Boardman, sending one woman to the hospital with minor injuries.
The Tri-City Herald reported Tuesday that law enforcement began receiving numerous calls about a westbound truck in the highway’s eastbound lane just before 9 p.m. A flat-bed truck, driven by Brent Lane Cooney, 50, of Irrigon, was first reported near the intersection with Highway 730.
A Morrow County sheriff’s deputy was working to stop traffic ahead of the wrong-way driver when Cooney’s truck crashed into the semi-truck driven by Richard C. Vaughn, 57, of Battle Ground, Wash., eight miles outside of Boardman. Neither Vaughn nor Cooney were injured in the crash, but Vaughn’s wife, Kimberly, 48, received minor injuries and was taken to Good Shepherd Medical Center in Hermiston for treatment.
The Herald reported that Cooney was booked into the Umatilla County jail after being arrested on suspicion of DUI, assault, reckless driving and reckless endangerment. The investigation is ongoing.
