In Umatilla County, there is a stretch of Interstate 84 commonly known as Cabbage Hill (technically Emigrant Hill). This stretch has the steepest and longest grade in Oregon. Heading westbound, travelers drop roughly 2,000 feet of elevation in a six-mile span—a 6% downgrade. In addition to the steep grade, the stretch includes many treacherous turns, including a “double hairpin.”
Weather conditions along this stretch are also frequently challenging. ODOT says they are “some of the most changeable and severe... in the Northwest.” That includes snow, fog, and black ice, which are common during roughly half the year (October through April). ODOT data also revealed that more than three-fourths (78%) of all Cabbage Hill crashes involve “out-of-state motor carriers.”
What this stretch has become, as a result, is the most dangerous highway in Oregon. That is especially true when it comes to commercial trucks. In 2021, despite being a primarily rural locale and Oregon’s 14th most populous county, Umatilla County had the third-most truck crashes in the state (behind only Multnomah and Clackamas counties.) In 2022, it was second, trailing only Multnomah County. The area has achieved a macabre notoriety. Some truckers have even posted in online forums about vendors selling “I Survived” t-shirts at the bottom of the hill.
Injury accidents in this area frequently involve a tractor-trailer and one or more forms of negligence. The trucker may have been going too fast for the extreme road conditions, especially if problematic weather conditions were also present. The trucker may have been behind the wheel of a big rig that was over the applicable statutory weight limits, had an inadequately secured load, or had components that were not working well enough to handle the challenges the hill presented. (According to ODOT, brake problems were a factor in 59% of Cabbage Hill truck crashes.)
Cabbage Hill Crash Lawsuits
If you are the one injured in one of these crashes, you need to do several things to get justice for yourself and your family. You need to figure out who was responsible for the crash. Was the truck driver driving unsafely? Were they driving past the driving duration (“hours of service”) limits federal regulators impose? Was the truck in proper working order, and had it been properly inspected, maintained, and repaired?
Alternatively, was the truck overweight? In Oregon, single-axle trucks must weigh 20,000 pounds or less, and tandem-axle trucks cannot weigh more than 34,000 pounds.
This discovery process often involves pursuing a wide array of information from various entities. You will need forensic crash scene evidence (like photos and video footage,) the police accident report, the trucker’s log book, the truck’s “black box” data recorder, the truck’s inspection/maintenance/repair records, and more.
You will also want to look into the trucker’s driving history. If the driver had a history of driving while drunk, high, or distracted, that history may provide possible clues about your crash. Also, proof that the driver had a problematic operating history but that the trucking company hired them anyway may help bolster your case against the trucking company.
Building a case against more than just the trucker is often crucial. Sometimes, a truck accident is 100% the result of a trucker’s negligent driving, but many times, the root causes are multifaceted, and the responsible parties are more numerous than one individual. Getting genuine justice means holding all the negligent parties -- from the trucking company that employed the driver to the third-party entity that performed the truck’s maintenance to the manufacturer/distributor of any defective truck parts -- accountable.
These steps require many things, including diligence, detail orientation, knowledge, experience, and more. In other words, getting justice requires a skilled advocate. If you have been hurt in a Cabbage Hill crash, the Oregon trucking collision attorneys at Kaplan Law LLC are here to help. Our team provides clients personalized representation, honest advice, and powerful, effective advocacy. If you have questions, call us at (503) 226-3844 or contact us online today.