Cascade Man seriously injured in I-5 fatal near Woodburn on Thursday

The Dalles, Ore., Aug. 23, 2024 — A Cascade Locks man was seriously injured in a four-vehicle crash on Interstate 5 near Woodburn that resulted in one fatality on  Thursday, August 22, 2024, at 5:26 a.m., according to  Oregon State Police.

The wreck occurred near milepost 277. 

“The preliminary investigation indicated a black Volkswagen Golf, operated by Christopher Lee Connely, 35, of Cascade Locks, was traveling northbound on I-5 behind a maroon Dodge Ram operated by Robert Allen Morton, 59, of Salem, according to the press release. 

“For an unknown reason, the Volkswagen rear-ended the Dodge pickup truck at highway speeds, causing the Dodge to lose control and spin across the travel lanes. A silver Nissan Altima, operated by Julia Cesar Garcia, 30, of Albany, traveling behind the Volkswagen and Dodge, could not avoid the crash and collided with the Dodge. 

Both the Dodge and Volkswagen continued across the cable barrier into the southbound lanes of I-5. A silver Ford Ranger, operated by Kenneth Lee Whelchel, 31, of Dallas, traveling southbound, was struck. The Ranger's operator lost control, crashed into the barrier, and came to a stop about one-quarter mile down the highway. 

The operator of the Ford Ranger (Whelchel) was pronounced deceased at the scene. 

The operator of the Volkswagen (Connely) was transported to an area hospital by LifeFlight with serious injuries. 

The Dodge (Morton) and Nissan (Garcia) operators sustained minor injuries and were not transported by medics. 

The highway was impacted for six hours for the on-scene investigation.