Oregon: First responders continue to be wary of distracted or confused drivers

A driver cut across two lanes on I-5 north in front of Roseburg police officer Kody Inda, forcing Inda to lightly tap the brakes of his patrol car.

About 15 minutes later, another driver straddled two lanes for a few seconds directly in front of Inda before finally moving over.

And this was a good day. Police officers and firefighters agree that their days can be much worse when distracted or confused drivers get in the way during emergency situations. The interference could be failure to yield to an emergency vehicle using a light and siren, not moving toward the opposite lane during a car stop or not paying attention during a crash scene.

“Oh, it’s a constant problem,” Inda said. “Some things are so egregious that you are kind of forced to do something. Other times, if it’s not too big of a problem, we will stop them and at least warn them.”

The latest example happened last Tuesday when Oregon State Police say a 1990 Nissan Sentra driven by Dustin McMillen, 31, of Bingen, Washington, slammed into the back of an Oregon State Police car during an accident scene. The OSP Dodge Charger was stopped in the fast lane with his emergency lights activated, preventing traffic from hitting the large pieces of concrete in the roadway. McMillen struck the rear of the patrol car at approximately 65 mph, causing significant damage to both vehicles. The driver said he was not paying attention to the road ahead of him because he was looking at the crash scene on the eastbound side of the interstate. McMillen was issued citations for careless driving and failing to maintain a safe distance from an emergency vehicle.

“It’s not uncommon at all to have secondary accidents at an accident scene.”Aaron DunbarRoseburg Police Sgt.

Roseburg Police Sgt. Aaron Dunbar said distracted or confused drivers continue to be a problem in Douglas County, with the potential to cause injury or death to police or firefighters en route to or on the scenes of emergency situations.

“It’s not uncommon at all to have secondary accidents at an accident scene,” Dunbar said.

Drivers who don’t yield when they see an emergency vehicle approaching with lights or siren on also cause police and firefighters frustration. Oregon law is clear on this: Drivers must pull to the right and stop.

“Drivers must yield to emergency vehicles, such as police vehicles, fire trucks and ambulances, when these vehicles approach you from any direction using a light or siren,” according to the Oregon Driver Manual. “When you see an emergency vehicle warning, you must immediately drive as close as is safely practical to the right-hand curb or edge of the road, clear of any intersection, and stop.”

“Hopefully, people would pay a little better attention and get out of the way,” Dunbar said.

Drivers traveling on streets or roads that have two or more lanes must change lanes when they see an emergency vehicle, tow truck or roadside assistance vehicle on the side of the road with warning lights on. Drivers should follow no closer than 500 feet behind an emergency vehicle responding to an alarm. In short: “Do not drive or park in any way that interferes with emergency vehicles responding to an emergency,” according to the manual.

Of the 106 firefighters who died while on duty in 2013, 14 died while heading to or from emergency incidents. A report released in 2014 by the The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration showed there were an average of 4,500 accidents involving ground ambulances between 1992 and 2011. Thirty-five percent resulted in an injury while less than 5 percent resulted in a fatality.

Of the 179 police officers who have died in the line-of-duty in Oregon, 90 were killed by gunfire. Vehicle-related deaths accounted for 37.

On Sept. 4, 2001, Albany police officer Jason Hoerauf and OSP Trooper Maria Mignano were assisting on a disabled van on I-5 when a driver in a pickup swerved across a lane of traffic, killing both officers and critically injuring another trooper.

Roseburg Fire Chief Gregg Timm said distracted or confused drivers cause a bigger concern for area fire departments than for law enforcement.

“They can enforce it and we can’t,” Timm said. “They also have the ability to swerve and divert quickly and we can’t.”

While fatalities involving firefighters responding to and from an emergency have dropped nationwide, local firefighters say the risk still exists for emergency vehicles responding to a scene.

Chris Galligan has been a driver/engineer for the Roseburg Fire Department for two years. It’s no wonder he said it’s the most dangerous job in the fire department.

“If I am coming up behind you with my siren going, and you haven’t heard me until I am right on top of you,” Galligan said, “ ... and you move somewhere and I’m not ready for it — that’s the safety side of it.”