Police: Wrong-way driver on I-5 was drunk

Police car lights at night

By KATU Web Staff

SUTHERLIN, Ore. - A woman accused of driving drunk and the wrong way on Interstate 5 near here crashed into two oncoming vehicles Saturday evening - but miraculously no one was seriously hurt.

According to Oregon State Police, several motorists reported the Pontiac Sunbird driving south in the northbound lanes of I-5 about 13 miles north of Sutherlin. The Sunbird sideswiped an oncoming 2002 Ford F350 pickup and then crashed head-on into a 1991 Honda Civic.

A Geo Tracker reportedly rear-ended the pickup but the driver of that vehicle left the scene before emergency responders arrived.

Two people in the Honda, 20-year-old Jeremy Linn and 28-year-old Misty Loweless, both of Cottage Grove, were taken by ambulance to Sacred Heart Medical Center, where they were treated for minor injuries and released, state police said.

The driver of the pickup, 55-year-old Michael McLaurin of The Dalles, and his passenger, 55-year-old Linda McLaurin, were not injured, state police said.

The wrong-way driver, identified by police as 49-year-old Linda G. Olson of Cottage Grove, was also treated at Sacred Heart Medical Center. Troopers cited her to appear in court on charges of driving under the influence of intoxicants, fourth-degree assault, recklessly endangering another person and reckless driving, state police said.

The crash closed the northbound lanes of the interstate for about three hours Saturday.

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