A Portland woman and her 5-year-old grandson were injured Thursday evening in a single-vehicle crash on Interstate 84 near La Grande.
According to the Oregon State Police, a 2000 Chevy Tahoe driven by Avis Elaine Thomas, 59, was eastbound on I-84 near milepost 257 when the vehicle drove off the south shoulder and impacted the embankment, coming to a rest on the gravel shoulder.
Motorists who witnessed the crash stopped and extricated Thomas and her grandson just before the vehicle caught fire. Both occupants were transported to the Grande Ronde Hospital where Thomas was stabilized and transported by air to St. Alphonsus in Boise with serious injuries. The 5-year-old sustained significant but non-life threatening injuries.
The cause of the crash are still under investigation. The Oregon State Police was assisted by the Oregon Department of Transportation, the La Grande City Fire Department, the La Grande Rural Fire Department and the Department of Human Services.
