‘Whiteout’ Winter Storm Conditions Cause Pileup On Oregon Highway

Whiteout conditions in a snowstorm in Oregon on Thursday caused a multi-crash pileup on Interstate 84 involving dozens of vehicles, officials said.

The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office said I-84 was closed three miles west of Multnomah Falls due to multiple crashes causing a pileup. The sheriff’s office initially said deputies described seeing as many as 100 vehicles involved, but later revised that number down to between 20 and 30 vehicles.

“Low visibility made it difficult to differentiate initially between vehicles that were involved and vehicles that were only stopped,” the sheriff’s office said.

One SUV caught fire as a result of the crash, but all occupants made it safely out of the vehicle. No fatalities were reported, but there were an unknown number of mostly minor injuries.

Oregon State Police said in a statement that according to preliminary reports, “numerous factors, such as icy and slick roads, limited visibility, and near-white-out conditions, contributed to the crashes.”

State police said troopers responded to eight separate crashes, from which four individuals were transported to hospitals, but that local departments responded to an “unknown” number of crashes.

The area remained under a winter storm warning through 10 a.m. Friday, and police urged residents to avoid travel until weather conditions improved.