Oregon National Guard van involved in fatal four-vehicle wreck in Clatsop County
(UPDATE)
CLATSOP COUNTY, Ore. (KTVZ) -- One person died and 13 Oregon National Guard members were injured in a four-vehicle crash on Highway 30 in Clatsop County last Saturday evening.
The collision occurred at approximately 8:56 p.m. on Sept. 12 near milepost 85 when a pickup truck crossed into oncoming traffic, triggering a mass casualty event response.
According to Oregon State Police, 65-year-old Markham Marshall Stangland of Warrenton was driving a black Ford Ranger westbound when his vehicle crossed into the eastbound lane for unknown reasons. Stangland was pronounced dead at the scene and state police noted he was not believed to have been wearing a seat belt.
The crash involved 18 total occupants across four vehicles. Among them were 15 Oregon National Guard members returning in two separate vehicles from a training event at Camp Rilea near Warrenton.
The initial collision occurred when the westbound Ford Ranger crossed the centerline and sideswiped an eastbound black Ram 1500 pickup operated by 25-year-old Jaden Vinay Govindan of Aloha, which was carrying four National Guard members. The Ford Ranger continued westbound in the eastbound lane and struck an eastbound Ford Transit van driven by 21-year-old Raiden Cunningham of Milwaukie. The van was carrying 11 Guard members.
A fourth vehicle, an eastbound green Ford F-100 pickup operated by 29-year-old Gregory Louis Wavra of Longview, Wash., was unable to stop and struck both the Ford Ranger and the Ford Transit van. Wavra sustained minor injuries and was transported to an area hospital. Thirteen service members, including Cunningham, were injured and taken to a nearby hospital, where three Guard members remain hospitalized.
Highway 30 was impacted for approximately 4 hours during the on-scene investigation. Oregon State Police were assisted at the scene by the Clatskanie Fire Department, Knappa Fire Department, Astoria Fire Department, Medix Ambulance Service, Clatsop County Sheriff's Office, Astoria Police Department, Oregon Department of Transportation and the Washington State Patrol. Oregon State Police expressed gratitude to each responding agency for assisting during the large-scale emergency.
CLATSOP COUNTY, Ore. (KTVZ) -- A 65-year-old Warrenton man was killed and three drivers were injured Saturday night in a four-vehicle crash on Highway 30 in Clatsop County involving a van carrying 11 Oregon National Guard members.
The crash occurred around 8:56 p.m. near milepost 85 when a westbound pickup truck crossed into oncoming traffic, according to Oregon State Police. With 17 total occupants across the four vehicles, the collision triggered a mass casualty event response from local emergency departments and closed the highway for approximately 4 hours.
State police said Markham Marshall Stangland, 65, of Warrenton, was driving a black Ford Ranger westbound on Highway 30 when his vehicle crossed into the eastbound lane for unknown reasons. The Ford Ranger first sideswiped an eastbound black Ram 1500 pickup driven by Jaden Vinay Govindan, 25, of Aloha.
After sideswiping the Ram 1500, Stangland's pickup continued traveling westbound in the eastbound lane and struck an oncoming Ford Transit van driven by Haiden Cunningham, 21, of Milwaukie.
The Ford Transit van was carrying 11 members of the Oregon National Guard who were returning to the Clackamas area following a training event at Camp Rilea near Warrenton.
An eastbound green Ford F-100 pickup, driven by Gregory Louis Wavra, 29, of Longview, Wash., was unable to stop in time and collided with both the Ford Ranger and the Ford Transit van.
Stangland was pronounced dead at the scene and police said he was not believed to have been wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash. Cunningham sustained serious injuries and was taken to an area hospital, while Govindan and Wavra suffered minor injuries and were also hospitalized.
Multiple agencies assisted Oregon State Police during the emergency response, including the Clatskanie, Knappa and Astoria fire departments, Medix Ambulance Service, the Clatsop County Sheriff's Office, Astoria Police Department, Oregon Department of Transportation and Washington State Patrol.
