Seven adults are dead and multiple others are injured following a multiple-vehicle crash on northbound Interstate 5 Thursday afternoon, May 18.
Two semitrucks and one passenger van were involved, according to an Oregon State Police news release, and the cause of the crash is under investigation. The agency responded to the three-vehicle crash at around 2:05 p.m. near the Santiam rest area.
Multiple dead bodies, covered in plastic, could be seen in a field where OSP troopers combed through the area. The Marion County Medical Examiner was on scene.
Firefighters and Oregon State Police troopers maneuver around the wreckage of a van, Thursday, May 18, 2023, near the Santiam River Rest Area after a multiple-fatal crash on the northbound lane of Interstate 5.
At around 2:45 p.m., a Life Flight helicopter left the scene.
Roger Pike, a Sweet Home man, said his van was stopped on a freeway onramp at the rest area while responders landed an air ambulance helicopter on I-5.
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“Ambulances filled it up,” Pike said.
Police and fire officials placed a blue tarp on the wrecked van and put up a barrier near the crashed semitruck to block line of sight into the scene of the wreck.
Joe Shipley, right, of Carlton, and another bystander watch emergency responders work at the scene of a septuple fatal crash Thursday, May 18, 2023, near the Santiam River Rest Area off the shoulder of northbound Interstate 5.
The Oregon Department of Transportation sent a news release around 2:40 p.m. saying the northbound freeway could be closed for several hours at milepost 241 due to the crash. A later news release said a detour would funnel cars via Exit 238 onto Jefferson Highway for the afternoon rush hour. Travelers were warned to expect delays.
Oregon State Police officials at the scene said the shoulder of the freeway would be closed off as crash reconstruction teams work and treat the area as a crime scene.
Joe Shipley, operating a truck for his Carlton-based business Shipley Trucking, was among those standing outside their vehicles near the wreck.
He said police had told drivers parked on a freeway onramp to expect a five-hour delay at the wreck.
Alex Powers (he/him) covers agri-business, Benton County, environment and city of Lebanon for Mid-Valley Media. Call 541-812-6116 or tweet @OregonAlex.
Alex Powers
Reporter
Alex Powers (he/him) reports agri-business, Benton County, environment and city of Lebanon for Mid-Valley Media. He studied sociology at University of Oregon where he earned a master’s degree in journalism. Alex probably is outdoors when he’s not behind a camera or notepad.
Maddie Pfeifer
Reporter
Maddie Pfeifer is the public safety/crime and courts reporter for Mid-Valley Media. She has a bachelor's degree in communication studies from the University of Portland. In her free time, she enjoys watching movies and spending time outdoors.
