Icy roads kill Oregon driver

Icy road conditions Saturday triggered a series of accidents on I-84 that killed a Beaverton, Ore., man and closed the interstate for about two hours between Mountain Home and Simco Road.

Killed in the single-car rollover at milepost 78, at about 7:45 a.m., was Martin C. Day, 70. A passenger in his vehicle, Ralph Brooks, 55, also of Beaverton, was transported to Elmore Medical Center where he was treated and released. Both men were wearing seat belts at the time of the accident.

According to the Elmore County Sheriff's Office, Day was westbound in a 1999 Toyota SUV when he apparently lost control on the icy roads, went into the median where his vehicle rolled, landing on its top. The Toyota then slid into the left-hand lane of the eastbound lane of I-84. Day was pronounced dead at the scene.

It turned out to be a busy day for dispatcher Teresa Mallea. "After that first call came in (at 7:48 a.m.) it got crazy," she said, with accidents being reported at 7:54, 7:55, 7:59, and 8:11 a.m. and four more between then and 10 a.m.

Two of the other accidents resulted in individuals being taken by air ambulance to Boise hospitals.

All the accidents appeared due to icy road conditions and people driving too fast for those conditions.

Additional deputies and ISP officers were dispatched to help with the series of accidents and the county extrication team was kept busy for the two-hour stretch during which the accidents occurred. "They helped tremendously," Mallea said.

Several other accidents occurred after officers closed the interstate, with cars sliding into the backs of cars already stopped, and the impacts causing those cars to rear-end cars in front of them, the incidents sometimes involving four or five vehicles at a time. Officers did not keep track of those accidents, although they were described as "numerous," and no reports were immediately filed.

With snow falling Tuesday morning, a large number of accidents were being reported on area roads, but details were not available by press time.

Authorities reminded people to slow down when road conditions deteriorate.