Distracted driver flies off road and plunges 200 feet, Oregon cops say. See the video
A distracted driver was caught on camera flying off a roadway in Oregon, troopers said.
The person is lucky to be alive, Oregon State Police posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Another driver’s dash cam was recording when a black vehicle coming from the other direction did not navigate a turn.
Instead, the vehicle plunged 200 feet down an embankment at 10:42 a.m. Feb. 26, troopers said.
They were on Oregon Route 224 and Southeast Tong Road in Clackamas County.
The driver had “moderate” injuries that were non-life-threatening, troopers told McClatchy News on Feb. 28. The driver wasn’t fined or cited, troopers said.
“Taking (your) eyes off the roadway for a moment can have fast and tragic consequences,” police said.
Distracted driving in Oregon
In Oregon, distracted driving is illegal.
A driver is distracted when they divert “attention to something not related to driving that uses the driver’s eyes, ears, hands or mind,” according to the Oregon Department of Transportation.
This can include someone looking at anything not on the road or handling something besides the steering wheel, transportation officials said.
Drivers can also be distracted if they are thinking about something “other than driving,” officials said.
Distracted driving caused 26,264 crashes in Oregon that left 194 people dead from 2017 to 2021.
This story was originally published February 28, 2024 at 4:53 PM with the headline "Distracted driver flies off road and plunges 200 feet, Oregon cops say. See the video."
