ODOT incident responder injured in crash on icy I-205
News media contact: David House, david.j.house@odot.oregon.gov or 503-551-8641
Feb. 24, 2023
PORTLAND – An ODOT Incident Response operator was injured Friday morning when his truck was rear-ended on the shoulder of icy Interstate 205, a scary reminder of the danger all road crews face, especially while working in harsh winter conditions.
The operator, a 10-year veteran of ODOT’s Incident Response program, was sitting in his vehicle on the highway’s left shoulder when he was rear-ended by a passenger car near the south end of the Glenn Jackson Bridge. He had been assisting a semi-truck that had been struggling on the icy road.
The crash underscored not just the dangers on the icy roads but the importance of Oregon’s Move Over law that requires vehicles to slow or change lanes to make room for emergency service vehicles. The Incident Response vehicle had its chevron lights activated at the time of the crash.
“This is a reminder that we all need to be extra careful out there,” said Rian Windsheimer, Portland area manager for ODOT. “ODOT and other emergency responders are out risking their lives to keep the roads safe for us every day and we need to Move Over, slow down, and give them space to work.”
 Example of an ODOT Incident Response truck on the left - responding to another location in the Feb. 22-23 snowstorm.
|
