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Monday, March 18, 2024
March 18, 2024

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I-5 incidents snarl morning commute

Small car pinned between cement mixer, semi

By , Columbian Transportation & Environment Reporter, and
, Columbian Editor
Published:
2 Photos
Police and fire crews responded to a crash on the onramp connecting Mill Plain Boulevard to southbound Interstate 5 in Vancouver on Wednesday.
Police and fire crews responded to a crash on the onramp connecting Mill Plain Boulevard to southbound Interstate 5 in Vancouver on Wednesday. Photo Gallery

A pair of incidents disrupted the morning commute to Portland for a second straight day Wednesday, causing significant backups on Interstate 5 in Vancouver through the morning.

A crash on the Interstate 5 Bridge about 7:40 a.m. crushed a small car between a cement mixer and a tractor-trailer. Samuel Saavedra of Beaverton, Ore., was driving a 1997 Honda Accord south on I-5 when he came to a stop behind the tractor-trailer in traffic. The cement truck, driven by Eugene Ferrier of Vancouver, collided with the Accord from behind, pushing the car into the truck in front of it, according to police. The vehicle was totaled.

Saavedra, 52, was injured and taken to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center in Portland. Ferrier was not injured, but was charged with following too close, according to Washington State Patrol.

The accident blocked the right and center southbound lanes of the bridge, backing traffic well into Vancouver for more than an hour.

The crash was cleared just before 9 a.m.

At about 9:12 a.m., another crash was reported on the onramp from Mill Plain Boulevard to southbound I-5. A 1992 Honda Civic left the ramp and hit a light pole after the driver suffered an apparent medical episode, according to state police. Vancouver resident Richard Barker, 64, later died at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center, police said.

The response partially blocked the ramp, though traffic was still able to get by.

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Columbian Transportation & Environment Reporter