Wilsonville Spokesman Online

Update: Names released of injured motorcyclists

Two critically injured in Friday afternoon crash on Interstate 5

• By: Patrick Johnson  
• Published: 9/18/2009 11:45:15 PM

Photo By: Patrick JohnsonLifeFlight on scene
LifeFlight members load two men who were involved in a massive 26 motorcycle pile up into their helicopter Friday afternoon around 3:30 p.m. The crash tied up traffic for hours on Interstate 5 during the weekend commute.

Two Idaho men were critically injured and 10 others were injured at about 2:45 p.m. Friday afternoon when the motorcycle convoy they were travelling in crashed two miles south of Wilsonville on northbound Interstate 5.

Herbert Sinclair of Heyburn, ID and David Bowyer of Coeur d'Alene ID were critically injured and were both transported by LifeFlight at about 3:30 p.m. Friday after a crash that closed I-5 for several hours. The two men are members of the Brothers Speed Motorcycle Club and were travelling with a group of 26 motorcycles in a formation of two columns.

According to an Oregon State Police press release, the group was traveling northbound in the left inside lane near milepost 282 when traffic ahead began to come to a stop. The first two motorcycles maneuvered to avoid a collision with the stopped vehicle, but the rest of the motorcycles could not react in time and crashed into the vehicle in front of their group and into each other.

The crash snarled traffic for several hours both northbound and southbound on I-5, with backups all the way from Woodburn to Highway 217 and even to Stafford Road on Interstate 205. All lanes of I-5 re-opened at about 5:40 p.m.

Emergency personnel from Oregon State Police, Clackamas County Sheriff's Office, Aurora Fire and Rescue and Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue responded to the scene.

According to TVFR Lieutenant Mike Towner, whose crew responded from Fire Station 56 in Wilsonville, the crash scene was unlike anything he has seen before.

"When we arrived on scene, it was ordered mayhem," Towner said. "There were almost two dozen motorcycles scattered across the freeway, and firefighters from Aurora and Canby providing medical care to injured bikers, as non-injured bikers tried to assist."

Clackamas County Sheriff's Office Sergeant John Naccarato was at the initial scene and also described it as chaotic.

"It's a melee," Naccarato said as he observed the rescue effort while directing traffic. "We're landing Lifeflight, all sorts of stuff. Traffic was stopped, it looks like there's at least 10 people down, 5 ambulances, 10 fire engines, 5 police units. It's all still under investigation."

Joshua Kulla also contributed to this report.

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