A16
REGIONAL
Wallowa County Chieftain
Wednesday, February 23, 2022
Massive pileup on mountain shuts down I-84
Series of crashes involve nearly
100 vehicles, numerous injuries
By ANDREW CUTLER,
DICK MASON, ERICK
PETERSON, ANTONIO
SIERRA, ALEX
WITTWER and PHIL
WRIGHT
EO Media Group
Antonio Sierra/East Oregonian
Emergency crews respond to the scene of a mass crash involving dozens of vehicles Monday, Feb. 21, 2022, on Interstate 84
about 21 miles east of Pendleton.
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Carter Hyatt/Contributed Photo
This Nissan Pathfi nder belonging to the Hyatt family of Yelm,
Washington, crashed Monday, Feb. 21, 2022, into the back
of this Amazon trailer on Interstate 84 about 21 miles east
of Pendleton. The crash was part of a series of wrecks that
stretched for a mile on the westbound side. The Hyatts were
unharmed in the crash.
PENDLETON — The
Hyatt family on Monday,
Feb. 21, was heading west
on Interstate 84, bound for
their home in Yelm, Wash-
ington, when they became
involved in one of the big-
gest traffi c smash-ups in
Eastern Oregon in years.
Marjorie, a kindergarten
assistant; her husband, Car-
ter Hyatt, a vocational ther-
apist; and their son, Jacob, a
sophomore in high school;
were returning from a trip to
Utah, where they were a part
of their daughter’s engage-
ment, including picking out
her dress and ring.
“We had a wonderful
weekend,” Carter said.
On the way back in their
Nissan Pathfi nder, they
stopped in Boise to spend
the night of Feb. 20 with
Jacob’s brother, then headed
out the morning of Feb. 21
for the fi nal leg of the trek
home.
Marjorie was asleep,
Jacob was in the backseat
watching one of “The Lord
of the Rings” movies and
Carter was driving. He said
they were going to stop at the
rest area at Deadman Pass,
near milepost 229, when he
saw jackknifed semitrailers
on the road ahead.
“I kind of swerved,” he
recalled. “I was able to miss
a couple of cars and trucks.”
But he tapped the breaks,
he said, and lost control of
the car.
The front of their Nis-
san smashed into the rear
driver’s side of an Amazon
semitrailer. The collision
tore apart the front of the car,
and the engine ended up on
the asphalt.
But the Nissan’s safety
features worked well, Carter
said. The air bags, seat belts
and crumple zones protected
the family.
“We’re all pretty much
fi ne,” Marjorie said.
The Hyatts were part of a
series of crashes that began
at around noon near mile-
post 230 and involved as
many as 98 vehicles, accord-
ing to press releases from
the Oregon Department of
Transportation and Oregon
State Police. And while the
total number of injured was
unknown, OSP as of late
Feb. 21 had not reported any
fatalities in the pileup that
stretched for a mile.
Interstate 84
shuts down
The mass crash shut
down the westbound and
eastbound lanes of the free-
way in Eastern Oregon.
Eastbound was closed Feb.
21 between Exit 216, 6
miles east of Pendleton, and
Exit 265 at La Grande, while
westbound was closed to
between Exit 374 at Ontario
and Exit 216.
The freeway reopened
eastbound about 12:30 a.m.
Feb. 22, and westbound at
about 6 a.m.
The OSP, local law
enforcement, fi re and med-
ics from agencies throughout
Umatilla and Union counties
responded, along with help
from Walla Walla County in
Washington. Pendleton Fire
Chief Jim Critchley said the
wrecks stretched for a mile.
The Hyatts described the
response as impressive.
Responding
offi cers
were notifi ed of additional
crashes while they were
arriving, and then once on
scene, offi cers could hear
crashes occurring behind
them, according to a press
release from the OSP. The
Hyatt’s heard those crashes,
too.
“Bam, bam, bam,” Carter
Hyatt said. “They just kept
hitting.”
Marjorie said the sounds
were
unnerving. They
stayed in their vehicle, even
without heat, for protection.
Capt. Merle Laci with
the La Grande Fire Depart-
ment said two ambulances
and one rescue rig were on
scene from Union County,
with crews from Union and
Island City fi re departments
on standby. The La Grande
Fire Department sent eight
personnel to the scene.
As of 3:35 p.m., rescue
vehicles and ambulances
from the La Grande Fire
Department had returned
to the station, according
to Laci. La Grande Fire
Department confi rmed they
had transported three indi-
viduals from the scene to
Grande Ronde Hospital.
Nick Oatley, spokesper-
son with Umatilla County
Fire District No. 1, con-
fi rmed the Hermiston-based
fi re
department
also
responded, but he did not
have specifi cs on how many
personnel were on scene.
Good Shepherd Medical
Center, Hermiston, reported
it did not receive any crash
victims.
Hospitals at the ready
Elaine LaRochelle, inci-
dent commander at Grande
Ronde Hospital, La Grande,
activated the hospital’s inci-
dent command system,
according to a press release
from Mardi Ford, public
information offi cer.
“We are preparing to sup-
port any patients sent our
way with emergency ser-
vices and medical care,”
Ford said in the release.
“We do not have any news
on distribution of patients to
be sent our way. However,
we are prepared to assist
in this emergency. We are
cooperating fully with all
regional partners, including
our media contacts, to do
what we can to keep every-
one informed. Our primary
mission, however, is to pro-
vide emergency services and
medical care to patients in
need. Once we know more,
See Crash, Page A17
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