Photo: CHET STRANGE/AFP/Getty Images
By: The opinion Posted May 19, 2023, 1:23 am EDT
A crash on Interstate 5 in western Oregon resulted in the death of 7 peopleauthorities announced in a tragic update.
From the Oregon State Police, the accident involved two semi-trucks and a passenger vehicle. So far, the exact number of injured is not yet known.
The accident took place near the Santiam rest area on I-5 north. All northbound lanes are closed.
At least three people are dead following a multiple-vehicle crash on northbound Interstate 5 Thursday afternoon, May 18. https://t.co/traRkSLlhh
— Democrat-Herald (@dhnews) May 18, 2023
Multiple corpses, covered in plastic, could be seen in a field where different uniformed men were combing the area. The Marion County Medical Examiner was on the scene.
Meanwhile, police and firefighters placed a blue tarp over the wrecked van and put up a barrier near one of the trucks to block the view of the scene.
According to the local Democrat-Herald newspaper, the van appeared to have been crushed between the trucks. However, the cause of the crash was under investigation.
The cause of the accident was under investigation. State transportation officials said the northbound lanes of the freeway where the crash occurred were closed and a detour would be opened Thursday night.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that 31,785 people lost their lives in crashes between January and September of last year.
Meanwhile, in the total count of 2021, almost 43,000 people died from vehicle accidents in the United States, the highest number in 16 years.