A woman from Washington has been charged with a DUI after driving in the wrong direction on I-5 near exit 66 near Hugo, Oregon.
On Sunday, around 2:30 a.m., the 27-year-old Ashley Whipple, drove in the wrong direction, causing her to face a semi-truck head-on. The semi-truck was traveling northbound at the time of the incident. When he noticed the wrong-way driver, the truck driver swerved to avoid her and crashed his truck.
The wrong-way driver hit the semi head-on.
The collision reportedly caused the truck’s load of hydrochloric acid to leak onto the freeway. But when a Medford hazmat team arrived at the scene to clean up the mess, the team stated that there was no chemical leakage.
According to the video from KRDV, residents in the area claim to have seen many wrong-way drivers near the Jump Off Joe Creek area before. Citizens report that sign postings might be misleading. One woman remarked that “I don’t think it’s clearly marked. So this is not actually a surprise.”
The Oregon DOT closed northbound lanes for several hours. Lanes were re-opened by 8:30 a.m.
Ashley Whipple sustained minor injuries and was treated at a hospital. She was also cited and released for a DUI. The unidentified truck driver was not injured.