A driver fled on foot early Thursday after crashing a minivan on the Interstate 5 Bridge between Vancouver and Portland, Ore., abandoning a small child and two women who were inside the burning vehicle.
Transportation crews who were working on the bridge came to the rescue of the women and child, busting out a window of the minivan to help them escape before the flames spread, officials said. Medics and police quickly responded to the scene. The child and one of the women were taken to the hospital after the crash.
A preliminary investigation found that the minivan was heading south on the freeway bridge spanning the Columbia River at around 3:30 a.m. when the driver rear-ended a road construction vehicle that was blocking the right-hand lanes while crews completed some scheduled bridge maintenance.
None of the construction workers were hurt in the crash, said Oregon Department of Transportation spokesman Don Hamilton.
Transportation crews said the driver got out after the crash and started running south across the bridge. No word from police on whether the driver was found.