Wrong-way driver on I-5 crashes into barrier

This is a press release courtesy of the Oregon State Police

An elderly woman and her husband were not injured Friday morning after they drove the wrong way on Interstate 5 south of Albany for at least four miles and crashed into a concrete barrier at a highway construction zone. 

The woman, who was driving while suspended, was cited by Oregon State Police and the couple were released to a relative.

On Feb. 6, 2009, at 6:02 a.m. a report was received of a vehicle driving southbound in the northbound lanes of Interstate 5 near milepost 226.  Oregon State Police Recruit Trooper Ray Stallsworth left from the OSP Albany office to overtake and locate the vehicle.  A few minutes after the original report, the 1996 Toyota Avalon four-door crashed into a concrete barrier in a northbound Interstate 5 highway work zone near milepost 222.

OSP arrived at 6:12 a.m. and contacted driver Helen Woolley, 81, and her husband/passenger William Woolley, 84, both from Tolovana Park, Ore.  Both were using safety restraints and uninjured.

Helen Woolley was operating with a suspended driver's license due to medical-related factors.  She was cited by OSP for Driving While Suspended and Careless Driving.

The couple was transported by OSP back to the Albany Area Command Office.  Stallsworth was able to contact a relative in Salem who came and picked up the couple.

OSP was assisted at the scene by Halsey Fire Department and ODOT.

About wrong-way drivers

Wrong way drivers present an obvious danger to all motorists on our highways. 

The most recent available crash statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration indicates wrong way drivers are involved in 1.5 percent of all fatal crashes.

Drivers who travel the wrong way on one way highways generally fall into one of our different categories:

• Intoxicated driver
  
• Older drivers who easily get confused
  
• Intentional drivers (example - trying to avoid traffic jams / congestion caused by crashes)
  
• Inattentive drivers who mistake an off ramp for an on ramp

OSP and ODOT provided the following safety tips and information related to wrong way driver situations:

• Watch far ahead for signs of a possible wrong way driver, looking for signs similar to pending problems or developing emergency situations such as other traffic braking or swerving to avoid something, or the obvious - headlights coming in the opposite direction.
  
• Caution against driving long periods in the inside lane on freeways, especially on curves.
  
• Be aware that wrong way drivers usually drive in the inside lane or inside shoulder, believing they are actually on a two-lane highway.
  
• Most common types of wrong way driver involved crashes are head-on or sideswipe crashes.