DispNowCopL8r
09-06-2001, 06:13
Very Unfortunate:crying2:
PORTLAND - An Oregon State Police trooper and an Albany police officer were killed and a third officer was in critical condition Wednesday after a pickup veered onto the shoulder of Interstate 5 and hit them.
The officers were standing on the shoulder to assist a Tacoma family's disabled van 8 miles south of Salem, said Lt. Gregg Hastings, a state police spokesman.
OSP Senior Trooper Maria Mignano, 39, and off-duty Albany policeman Jason Hoerauf, 29, died at the scene.
The third officer, OSP Sgt. John Burright, 41, underwent five hours of emergency surgery early Wednesday for massive internal injuries at Legacy Emanuel Hospital in Portland, a nursing supervisor said. He was in critical condition.
'Why It Happened, We Don't Know'
The accident occurred just before 7 p.m. when Burright and the Albany officer, who was part of a ride-along program, stopped to help the Tacoma family. The female trooper pulled up behind and stood with the group.
All three officers were standing near their cars when the pickup crossed onto the shoulder and hit them, Hastings said.
"Why it happened, we don't know. It's a straight stretch of highway, a construction work zone," he said.
No Alcohol, Drugs Involved
The driver of the pickup truck, 19-year-old Jacob Todoriko, of Salem, was taken to Salem Hospital, Hastings said. Todoriko suffered only minor injuries and no charges had been filed against him, he said.
There were no indications that alcohol or drugs were involved in the crash, Hastings said.
"We're looking at other scenarios that the Marion County district attorney has asked us not to discuss" until the investigation is completed, Hastings said.
Tacoma Family Unhurt
The van's passengers -- 44-year-old Celeste Howell and 51-year-old Mike Howell and four young children from Tacoma -- weren't hurt.
Accident investigators were on the scene until late Tuesday night. The crash closed both northbound lanes of the interstate until 1:15 a.m. Wednesday.
According to the state police, this was the first death of a female trooper in the line of duty.
The agency's Web site said 26 troopers have died while on duty since 1931, all of them male.
For More Information:
www.osp.state.or.us
:crying2:
PORTLAND - An Oregon State Police trooper and an Albany police officer were killed and a third officer was in critical condition Wednesday after a pickup veered onto the shoulder of Interstate 5 and hit them.
The officers were standing on the shoulder to assist a Tacoma family's disabled van 8 miles south of Salem, said Lt. Gregg Hastings, a state police spokesman.
OSP Senior Trooper Maria Mignano, 39, and off-duty Albany policeman Jason Hoerauf, 29, died at the scene.
The third officer, OSP Sgt. John Burright, 41, underwent five hours of emergency surgery early Wednesday for massive internal injuries at Legacy Emanuel Hospital in Portland, a nursing supervisor said. He was in critical condition.
'Why It Happened, We Don't Know'
The accident occurred just before 7 p.m. when Burright and the Albany officer, who was part of a ride-along program, stopped to help the Tacoma family. The female trooper pulled up behind and stood with the group.
All three officers were standing near their cars when the pickup crossed onto the shoulder and hit them, Hastings said.
"Why it happened, we don't know. It's a straight stretch of highway, a construction work zone," he said.
No Alcohol, Drugs Involved
The driver of the pickup truck, 19-year-old Jacob Todoriko, of Salem, was taken to Salem Hospital, Hastings said. Todoriko suffered only minor injuries and no charges had been filed against him, he said.
There were no indications that alcohol or drugs were involved in the crash, Hastings said.
"We're looking at other scenarios that the Marion County district attorney has asked us not to discuss" until the investigation is completed, Hastings said.
Tacoma Family Unhurt
The van's passengers -- 44-year-old Celeste Howell and 51-year-old Mike Howell and four young children from Tacoma -- weren't hurt.
Accident investigators were on the scene until late Tuesday night. The crash closed both northbound lanes of the interstate until 1:15 a.m. Wednesday.
According to the state police, this was the first death of a female trooper in the line of duty.
The agency's Web site said 26 troopers have died while on duty since 1931, all of them male.
For More Information:
www.osp.state.or.us
:crying2: