Fatal Traffic Crash - Interstate 84 northwest of Huntington (Photos) - 12/06/10
Following two days of extrication efforts by a team of local eastern Oregon emergency responders, a construction company and area tow companies, the victim of a fatal traffic crash was removed from a crushed commercial truck Sunday afternoon ten miles northwest of Huntington. Oregon State Police (OSP) troopers from the Baker City work site are continuing the investigation.
According to OSP Lieutenant David MacManiman, on December 4, 2010 at approximately 10:22 a.m. a Wild West Express (Las Cruses, New Mexico) commercial truck pulling a semi-trailer loaded with 40,000 lbs. of frozen food was eastbound on Interstate 84 near milepost 334 when its driver lost control on an icy left curve. The truck collided with the center concrete barrier, traveled back across the eastbound lanes and crashed through a guardrail. The truck and trailer rolled down an embankment before coming to rest about 120 feet from the road, above the Burnt River.
When emergency responders arrived they found the truck crushed underneath the trailer. Huntington Fire Department personnel extricated the truck's driver, DAVID RAMSEY, age 47, from Denver, Colorado. RAMSEY was transported by Baker City Fire Department ambulance to St. Alphonsus Medical Center in Baker City for treatment of non-life threatening injuries. He was released following treatment.
The truck's co-driver/passenger, CHRISTINIA MARIA COOK, age 45, from Monahans, Texas was deceased at the scene and believed to have been in the sleeper berth at the time of the crash. Emergency responders worked throughout Saturday to stabilize the crash scene but were unable to get to COOK's body. Due to hazardous conditions, Baker County Sheriff's Office reserve deputies secured the area overnight.
Conditions throughout the evening in eastern Oregon were icy and travel was hazardous. Multiple rollover collisions and jackknife commercial truck incidents were reported on the interstate freeway and secondary roads keeping police, fire and medical responders busy.
On Sunday morning, additional personnel and resources from Steve Ritch Environmental & Construction Inc, Union City Fire Department, Blue Mountain Towing, Superior Towing, and ODOT came to the scene to assist with recovery.
MacManiman praised the hard work of responders throughout Sunday. Construction equipment was used to cut a road down to the scene to get resources and personnel closer to the vehicles. The semi-trailer was cut into the three sections so they could remove some of the load allowing access to the victim by late afternoon.
Photograph Source: Oregon State Police Oregon State Police news via FlashAlert.Net
I'm thankful I was able to get dispatch to keep me on the I-5 corridor for a while. That section of I-84 is very similar to most of I-80 in Wyo with winter conditions. Last year, several drivers went sliding off Cabbage and 2 were killed chaining up near Ontario. I hope there's some drivers here that heed the warning about winter driving in the northwest. We get a lot of black ice, especially in eastern WA and OR.
