Wet weather and freezing temperatures combined after dark on Thursday to create a slippery hazard on Franklin Boulevard and Interstate 5 that led to more than nine vehicles piling up on the roadway, Eugene Police Department said.
According to EPD, officers and Eugene Springfield Fire responded to a multi-vehicle crash at Franklin Boulevard under I-5 at about 7:03 p.m. on December 1. Officers said that after sunset, temperatures dropped and wet roads froze into black ice, leading to unsafe driving conditions. Police said they arrived to find multiple crashes on both sides of Franklin Boulevard, and they counted more than nine involved vehicles. Police also said there might have been more vehicles that crashed, but they may have left before responders arrived.
According to Eugene police, an involved driver had to be extricated from their car and was taken to a nearby hospital for precautionary evaluation. No other injuries were reported. Police said responders and local tow companies cleared the roadway to allow a truck from the Oregon Department of Transportation to de-ice the roadway so traffic could be opened up.