A crossover accident on Interstate 5 in Oregon on Wednesday morning claimed the life of a Portland man and backed up freeway traffic for hours.
Steven Edward Fritz, 54, the husband of Portland City Commissioner Amanda Fritz, was pronounced dead at the scene. The Portland City Council meeting has been canceled today.
The Oregon State Police originally reported two fatalities but issued a correction late this morning saying that Fritz was the only fatality. A passenger in his car was reported in critical condition.
The crash occurred at 7:50 a.m. in the freeway’s southbound lanes near Milepost 258, south of Portland Road in Salem, Ore., according to an OSP bulletin.
The bulletin said a small pickup northbound in heavy rain collided with a tanker trailer, crossed the raised grass center median into the southbound lanes and crashed head-on with a 1993 Nissan Sentra driven by Fritz. Two other southbound vehicles were involved in the collision.
Fritz, who works as a physician at the Oregon State Hospital in Salem, was pronounced dead at the scene. A coworker riding in his car, Cary Marie Farichild, 64, of Portland was critically injured and transported by ambulance to Salem Hospital.
The pickup’s driver, Michael Lippman, 53, of Salem suffered minor injuries and was treated and released at a local hospital,the OSP said. He is cooperating with the investigation.
Two other vehicles, a 2002 Dodge Dakota pickup and a 1997 Toyota pickup, were involved in the crash. Two occupants of the Toyota were taken to a hospital with minor injuries.
A second minor collision involving two other vehicles occurred north of the initial crash scene that was unrelated to the fatal crash.
OSP troopers from the Salem Area Command office are continuing the investigation. There is no evidence of alcohol or drugs as a contributing factor, the OSP said.
Freeway lanes opened shortly after 11 a.m. Officials had warned drivers to avoid the area or expect long delays.
OSP troopers from the Salem Area Command office are continuing the investigation.
