A recent frightening incident on I-205 led to a multi-vehicle Oregon auto crash involving a pick-up truck, a large commercial truck and a TriMet bus. A man from Monmouth was injured, several other vehicles damaged and the busy road was closed for several hours during morning rush hour, according to both The Oregonian and the Portland Tribune.
The chain of events leading to the crash began with a driver “passing on the right shoulder” who then abruptly “cut back into traffic,” according to The Oregonian. The driver of a pick-up swerved to avoid the reckless driver, went into a spin and crashed into a tractor-trailer. A TriMet bus traveling behind the pick-up also swerved in an effort to avoid the unfolding accident but wound up becoming part of it. Exactly what happened to the reckless driver who set all of this in motion is not mentioned in the media accounts – a fact which implies that the person ultimately responsible managed simply to drive away (particularly since both newspapers report that the police did not issue any citations at the scene of the multi-vehicle Oregon traffic crash).
That only one person was hurt in such a complex Oregon highway accident is a testament to the importance of seat belts. According to the Tribune “all drivers were using safety restraints.” That, at least, can be taken as a good sign. It was also surely fortunate that the bus was empty at the time of the accident. As I have noted in previous posts, TriMet has had a couple of difficult years leading to some significant questions about how – and how safely – it operates.
From a Portland car accident attorney’s perspective it is a relief that no one was seriously hurt in this incident. It does, however, serve as a reminder of the importance of safe driving – and of ensuring that reckless motorists are held to account for their actions. We all have a right to expect safety and responsible conduct from the people around us on both city streets and interstate highways. When drivers fail to keep up their end of that social bargain, police, the courts and victims’ families have an obligation to step in to right the balance.
Portland Tribune: TriMet bus tangles with car, truck on I-205
The Oregonian: Monmouth man injured in I-205 crash in Gladstone that backed up traffic for miles