A California man driving a stolen truck rammed some two dozen other vehicles on U.S. 101 along the southern Oregon coast on Saturday morning, police say, leaving a 40-mile path of destruction from Coos Bay to Florence.
The Oregon State Police are seeking accounts from witnesses and victims who might not have reported the crash. At least one person was injured.
The agency said a green Dodge 1500 pickup was first reported to have struck several cars in Coos Bay while headed north on the Oregon Coast Highway.
A short while later, just after 10:30 a.m., state troopers responded to a report a green truck had intentionally struck a vehicle stopped at a red light just north of North Bend. The truck accelerated in an attempt to push the vehicle into the intersection, police said.
The truck was also reported to have hit several vehicles at the Siltcoos Lake trailhead, just south of Florence. One person inside of a struck vehicle was injured and taken to a local hospital.
Police eventually caught up to the truck about two miles further north, where police said the driver crashed through a gate onto private property before getting stuck in the sand.
State troopers found 47-year-old Kevin Simpson of Eureka, California, nearby along the highway. He was arrested on suspicion of failure to perform the duties of a driver, reckless endangerment, reckless driving and criminal mischief and lodged in Lane County Jail.
Police said the truck was reported stolen in Eureka.
Simpson told police he recalled hitting 26 different vehicles, the Oregon State Police said.
Investigators are seeking statements from witnesses and victims, who can contact Oregon State Police Southern Command Center at 541-269-5000 or dial *OSP and leave information for Trooper Douglas Laird.
