A Salem man was killed in a crash on Interstate 5 early Thursday morning after he swerved off the road and struck a tree, the Oregon State Police announced Friday evening.
At 5:26 a.m. Thursday, state police responded to a single-vehicle crash on the northbound lanes of the freeway, near milepost 270 near Woodburn, the agency wrote in a statement.
Police determined that Dale S. Heggem, 76, was driving a white 2010 Chrysler Town & Country minivan when he veered off of the highway at a high rate of speed.
Heggem drove onto the shoulder of the road and struck a tree head-on, on the driver side of the minivan.
He was pronounced deceased at the scene from injuries he suffered in the crash.
I-5 remained open during police investigation with the slow lane shut down for around four hours.
Contact reporter Ardeshir Tabrizian: [email protected] or 503-929-3053.
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Ardeshir Tabrizian has covered criminal justice and housing for Salem Reporter since September 2021. As an Oregon native, his award-winning watchdog journalism has traversed the state. He has done reporting for The Oregonian, Eugene Weekly and Malheur Enterprise.
