A 61-year-old man from Springfield was killed in a three-vehicle crash that closed Interstate 5 south of Goshen on July 29, according to the Oregon State Police.
Kennith James Nelsen, 56, of Coos Bay, was driving a white Dodge Caravan southbound on I-5 when he attempted to turn from the right-hand lane into an emergency vehicle turnaround. His vehicle struck a gray Dodge Charger driven by Timothy Brian Smith, 59, of Springfield, who swerved to avoid the collision.
After the initial impact, Nelsen's Caravan crashed into Smith's Charger in the turnaround, propelling it into northbound traffic where it collided with a dump truck operated by Jaison William Karow, 44, of Coos Bay. Smith was transported by ground ambulance to a local hospital with serious injuries, while Kenneth Nicholas Thomas, a passenger in Smith's vehicle, was pronounced dead at the scene. Nelsen and Karow were unharmed.
Following the crash, a secondary collision involving three additional vehicles occurred on the southbound side of the interstate, but no injuries were reported from that incident.
The investigation into the crash is ongoing.