Police Respond to Crash in Salem With Serious Injuries

One lane is reported to remain closed while ODOT coordinates vehicle removal.

Salem-News.com

(SALEM, Ore.) - Oregon State Police troopers are investigating a Thursday afternoon serious injury crash on Interstate 5 in the Salem area involving a pickup and a commercial truck. Oregon Department of Transportation crews are still on scene helping coordinate vehicle removal.

OSP Senior Trooper Peggy Bishop says a 2001 Toyota Tacoma pickup was reportedly driving in the grassy center median "spinning cookies" between the north and southbound lanes of Interstate 5 near milepost 254 today at approximately 2:40 PM.

Several people called OSP Northern Command Center (NCC) dispatch to report the unusual driving by the pickup in that area.

Bishop says the pickup's driver, 44-year old Theodore Maynard of Beaverton, lost control and drove across the northbound lanes where he collided in the far right northbound lane with a commercial truck driven by 32-year old Amalio Gomora Hernandez of Salem.

Bishop says Maynard was using safety restraints and received serious injury. He was transported by ambulance to Salem Hospital.

Gomora Hernandez was not injured.

One lane is reported to remain closed while ODOT coordinates vehicle removal.

Any witnesses who have not talked to police are asked to call OSP NCC at 800-452-7888.