100-vehicle crash Monday on I-84 near Pendleton, Oregon in Blue Mountains

[L. Coyote]

As many as 98 cars and trucks crashed on 1 mile of icy Interstate 84.

Oregon State Police

The Oregon State Police along with several local agencies worked together throughout the night to get Interstate 84 open and cleared of vehicles. Troopers from the Pendleton and La Grande Area Commands along with crews from the below-listed agencies worked all night to get them over 170 vehicles out of the 1.75 mile stretch of the interstate. Uninjured persons who could not otherwise drive from the scene due to the blockage or damaged vehicles were transported to the Pendleton Convention Center for reunification. A local taxi company and a church provided vans to transport persons from the convention center to local hotels as needed.

A total of 71 people were transported from the crash scene to the reunification center via buses. Initial numbers collected were that there were 17 patients transported from the crash scene to the hospital with an additional 2 transported after having arrived at the reunification center.

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[former9thward]

1. I have driven that road many times.

But I would never do it in the winter.

[Grasswire2]

6. It's the same story every year.

I 84, impassable. Miles and miles of semis trapped. I would never do it, either. Unless I had a Hum Vee and a lot of supplies in back. Miserable.

[Cha]

2. "There's a reason this stretch is called Deadman Pass. "

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I've been in Whiteouts before.. in the Adirondacks.. scary!

Rt TY

[L. Coyote]

4. When I hear about pea soup fog, I just don't drive. Same for dust storms in the desert.

I also hate freezing conditions. Too many people follow too close and the mix of 18-wheelers is really dangerous.

[Cha]

5. My dog.. I've been caught in them

all!

The Whiteouts were in the Adirondacks and Colorado on the way to Colorado Springs from the Plains one really Snowy Winter's Day.

Pea Soup driving in Ocean Baach, California and Sand Storm in the nearest desert to San Diego.. the Mojave.

I was young and Fearless & Lucky! I don't even drive now.. I take the bus!

[Enter stage left]

3. That is a beautiful road, but we hit incredibly snowy weather in that same area.

in May one year (sorry don't remember which year) and had to pull off the road into a truck chain-up area, and sit for almost an hour to wait for the storm to pass, and the snow to start clearing from the road.

That road is extremely steep & curvy driving north-west down towards Pendleton.

It's a challenge in dry weather and normal driving conditions.

Please, ALWAYS CHECK WEATHER CONDITIONS before driving mountain passes, where-ever you are.

[gristy]

7. 3,622ft elevation, 6% grade

Yikes!

Deadman Pass in Oregon: a steep road (6%) to the summit
Deadman Pass is a mountain pass at an elevation of 1.104m (3,622ft) above the sea level, located in Umatilla County, in the U.S. state of Oregon. Drivers attempting to negotiate the pass are in for a challenge: heading northwest, you're forced to climb more than 2,000 feet in elevation that's chock-full of double-hairpin turns, as well as 6 percent grades. Heading southeast, the scenario flip-flops, and your brakes need to be operating at their full potential.

[misanthrope]

9. That seem as if it is backwards

Heading northwest is how you encounter the hairpins turns in the middle of the rapid descent down Emigrant Hill. Heading southeast, out of Pendleton and toward La Grande is the steep climb.

[DemocraticPatriot]

8. Oregon usually has much better weather, at the end of February...

I have a friend there. She told me about "planting flowers" at this time of year, in the past

Residing in Michigan, I was very hostile to her for that revelation. jajajaja




"Climate Change" WHAt?

lol

[L. Coyote]

12. Oregon's weather has a great geographic divide, the Cascade range.

On the coastal side the ocean moderates climate, winters are mild, and rain is plentiful, while on the continental side elevations are 4,000 feet higher, winters are cold, and the mountain range dry shadow is a desert. Daffodils are blooming already here, 13 miles from the Pacific shore. This year so far:

[Demovictory9]

10. recently read about tow company taking advantages of pileups... charging $9000 per car

https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/state-police-says-womans-9000-towing-bill-from-i-696-pileup-crash-not-illegal

The company that seemingly took advantage of stranded drivers after that pileup on I-696 in Farmington Hills - 10G Towing and Recovery -- did nothing criminal, according to Michigan State Police, when they charged those drivers insanely high prices, including one of them a $9,000 bill.

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Although 10G Towing and Recovery claims several police agencies called them to the scene of the accident, state police, which had jurisdiction over it, says it never did. Had state police called the Redford Township company, there would have been limits for how much it could charge.

"It makes me frustrated, because how as a civilian do we feel protected from people like this?" said Kellie Rockwell.

Even so, MSP says drivers like Kellie Rockwell hired 10G to tow their cars - and 10G did not misrepresent itself as being in cahoots with state police.

"The woman’s in a car accident, she sees police officers, she sees tow trucks, the cops say to get your car out of here, and there’s a tow truck right there," said Attorney Steve Lehto. "So she assumes the tow truck is with the police or is called by the police - and that’s the problem."

[North Shore Chicago]

11. Taking advantage of

folks in need really chaps me!