Salem-News.com (Jul-04-2009 15:20)

Oregon Highway 18 Blocked Due to Injury Crash

Salem-News.com

The often busy coastal route closes down on one of the biggest tourism days of the year.

(SALEM, Ore.) - Oregon State Police say they are on the scene of a multiple vehicle crash on Highway 18 just west of Van Duzer Corridor.

The wreck near milepost 8 has temporarily closed the Corridor as emergency crews, police and other crash responders make their way to the scene.

Highway 18 is a mostly rural highway that spans from the Willamette Valley in McMinnville, to the coastal town of Lincoln City and other points north and south.

Lincoln City's famed annual 4th of July Fireworks celebration held on the beach at the Siletz Bay, draws thousands and thousands of tourists to the beach.

Problems of this nature on Highway 18 are tragically common and often deadly. Drivers who push others by tailgating, passing without turn signals, and driving in generally unsafe ways, often lead to motor vehicle crashes.

Other drivers who operate their vehicles under the speed limit can be as much of a hazard.

The bottom line is that people who drive recklessly on this stretch of road have no business doing so, and a lot of lives have been ruined over bad driving decisions in Highway 18.

Oregon has a long way to go before summer is over

We'll bring you more information on the Highway 18 crash as it becomes available.

Oregon Highway 18 Blocked Due to Injury Crash

Salem-News.com