Umatilla Driver Escapes Serious Injury in Wrong-Way Head-On Crash on I-84

Oregon State Police report the occupants of two vehicles were fortunate to be alive after a terrifying head-on crash early Monday morning.

Around 8:20 a.m., 88-year-old Joselyn Gay entered I-84 heading east near the Dalles, OR, when she realized she missed her exit. She apparently thought she was on a two-lane highway and did a u-turn, drove several miles west bound in the wrong lane! Despite drivers flashing their lights at her Prius, she narrowly missed several vehicles.

Gay was able to avoid a Dodge Caravan driven by 65-year-old Rebekah Darden of Umatilla, OR. OSP troopers said the vehicles collided nearly head-on -- both traveling at about 65 mph! Fortunately, because of seat belts and airbags, both drivers only sustained minor injuries and were taken to Mid-Columbia Medical Center in The Dalles.

Nearly 1.5 percent of all fatal car accidents involve wrong-way drivers, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. No drugs are alcohol are suspected.