Cars hit wind-toppled tree on Highway 22
Highway 22 was partially blocked Monday morning for a couple of hours after several vehicles struck a downed tree on the road between Gates and Detroit in Marion County, Oregon State Police reported.
No drivers or passengers required transport to a hospital, but two of the damaged vehicles were towed from the scene, troopers said
According to Senior Trooper Frank Hagen, around 6:30 a.m, strong winds caused a tree to fall onto the highway near milepost 36.
The driver of an eastbound pickup safely pulled onto the shoulder after running over the tree. Immediately afterward, a westbound pickup struck the tree, then crashed into an embankment.
An eastbound Chrysler PT Cruiser and westbound log truck both also struck the tree. The Chrysler then collided nearly head-on with the loaded log truck. Hagen said.
Fire and medical responders from Lyons Rural Fire Protection District and Gates Rural Fire Protection District assisted with traffic control for an hour while ODOT personnel cleared the tree from the road.
