One person dead after collision on Highway 14

One person is dead and seven others injured following a major traffic accident that closed both lanes of traffic on a portion of state Route 14 in Camas for five hours Monday.

According to a Washington State Department of Transportation bulletin, the multi-vehicle collision occurred at approximately 4:38 p.m. at Mile Post 13 on the Camas Slough Bridge in a construction zone.

According to State Trooper Ryan Tanner, a 1996 Kenworth concrete hauler was traveling eastbound when one of its tires failed and it veered into the westbound traffic lane. The truck collided with three passenger cars carrying a total of seven people.

Pronounced dead at the scene of internal injuries was Kali B. Oberg, 18, of Vancouver, who was driving a 1994 Toyota Corolla.

The driver of the concrete hauler was Yevgeniu N. Konkin, 28, of Portland. He suffered a broken cheek bone and was transported to PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center in Vancouver.

Also involved in the crash were Jacob G. Mura, 22, of Rainier, Ore.; Ryan W. Baker, 30, of Washougal; Michael D. Hanson, 22, of Portland; Aaron R. Anderson, 18, of Vancouver; and Sara E. McCollum, 18, of Vancouver.

McCollum suffered multiple broken bones, and Baker received a broken wrist.

Hanson was not injured.

Anderson and McCollum were passengers in Oberg’s Toyota, a WSP memo said.

According to the WSP report none of the five appeared to have life-threatening injuries.

All lanes of the Camas Slough Bridge were blocked as crews worked to clear the roadway, which did not re-open until 9:50 p.m., according to WSDOT. Vehicles were detoured at Exit 12 through downtown Camas.

Since early June when work commenced on the state Route 14 safety improvement project, the stretch of highway from just west of the Camas Slough Bridge to 15th Street in Washougal has been the site of intense construction activities.

Tanner said the cement truck involved in the collision, however, was not part of the state Route 14 safety improvement project, but was traveling from another project based in the Portland area.