Five people died, including a 4-year-old girl, in three separate crashes Tuesday on U.S. 26 and Interstate 84 after falling trees struck passing trucks, according to Oregon State Police.
Just after 11:30 a.m., a large tree fell directly on top of the roof of a Ford F-150 truck near milepost 15.5 on U.S. 26, in Clatsop County.
Everyone inside the truck died in the crash: Justin Nolasco Pedraza, 19, of Seaside, who was driving; Bonifacio Olvera Nolasco, 41, of Seaside; and an unidentified 4-year-old girl.
The extreme wind made it unsafe and difficult to investigate the crash, Oregon State Police said. The highway was closed for about five hours.
About four hours later, a tree fell onto the cab of a Peterbilt semi-truck near U.S. 26 milepost 64, in Wasco County.
Oregon State Police responded to the crash about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday.
The truck driver, 53-year-old James Darron Lyda of Prineville, lost control of the truck and veered off the highway. He died at the crash scene, state police said.
Investigators closed that section of the highway for about three hours Tuesday evening.
Just after 2 p.m., a third fatal crash closed eastbound lanes of Interstate 84 from Troutdale past Bonneville Dam. A tree fell on a black Dodge Ram pickup pulling a U-Haul trailer, killing 20-year-old passenger Paula Chamu Sanchez of Baker City, state police said Wednesday. The crash happened at a tunnel near milepost 40 in Multnomah County, close to the dam. The crash injured the 43-year-old driver from Baker City, Rick Williams, who was taken to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center for treatment.
