HOOD RIVER COUNTY, Ore. — An Oregon man is facing charges after rolling through a closed off-ramp on Interstate 84 and allegedly struck two Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) workers.
Oregon State Police (OSP) stated in a release that on Wednesday, the agency arrested a driver who entered a closed Interstate 84 off-ramp earlier in the day and struck two Oregon Department of Transportation workers before leaving the scene.
Police say at approximately 4:10 a.m., ODOT had closed the Exit 64 eastbound off-ramp in Hood River while crews worked to remove a crashed commercial motor vehicle and its trailer. Despite the closure, the driver of a white Porsche entered the off-ramp and told workers he needed to take the exit to get to work.
As the Porsche drove through the closure, it struck two ODOT workers who were staffing the area. Neither worker was injured, and both declined medical treatment.
The driver, Gregory Adam Polanski, 43, of Hood River, left before law enforcement arrived.
At approximately 5:46 p.m., OSP troopers located the vehicle and conducted a traffic stop. Polanski was arrested and booked into the Northern Oregon Regional Correctional Facility (NORCOR) for reckless driving, two counts of recklessly endangering another person, and recklessly endangering highway workers.
“The driver who entered the closure not only put the crew at risk but also put himself in grave danger by entering an active and hazardous work zone,” said Cascade Locks Maintenance Manager Chris Yamnitsky, who was at the site. “This incident serves as a stark reminder to the crew of the risks we face on a daily basis, and we are thankful that the situation ended without serious injuries to the crew or the public.”
ODOT issued its own account of what took place on the I-84 on-ramp as well.
ODOT stated that the truck overturned about 2:20 a.m. and spilled some of its load and fuel, requiring a hazmat crew and heavy equipment to remove the fuel, truck, trailer and load. ODOT crews set up traffic control, including several trucks with flashing arrows, and had the shoulder and exit closed while they worked through the night to clear the scene.
“During the closure, a vehicle drove through the cones, putting multiple ODOT employees and the driver at risk,” ODOT stated. “Fortunately, there were no injuries, and Oregon State Police arrested the driver on multiple criminal charges Wednesday afternoon.”
“I was actually on the phone with Chris hearing it happen in the background,” ODOT District 2C Manager Will Ewing said. “They had the ramp closed so that they could work on removing the giant rolls of paper from the trailer to avoid tipping the whole thing onto the ramp, and we had hazmat cleanup activities on the ramp.”
“A driver drove through the cones, and the crew yelled at the guy and to warn other staff in the work zone,” Ewing said. “The driver’s vehicle made contact with two ODOT employees as he tried to drive through the scene.”
A towing crew was winching the crashed truck onto a tow truck, and ODOT had fully closed the right lane and ramp because it was a hazardous area.
“For both our crews and the traveling public, safety is our top priority,” Yamnitsky said. “We had the B (right) lane and off‑ramp closed due to equipment in the roadway, debris from the crash, and concerns about the load of 3,500‑pound paper rolls shifting and potentially spilling onto the ramp. With the ramp closed, we were supposed to have a safe work area with sufficient space to remove debris and assist the tow company in securing the load so the semi could be cleared and closures lifted as soon as to minimize traffic impacts.”
Bruce Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has lived in three states including Arkansas, Missouri and Georgia. During his nearly 20-year career, Bruce has served as managing editor and sports editor for numerous publications. He and his wife, Dana, who is also a journalist, are based in Carrollton, Georgia.
