Driver crashes into Albany canal
A driver was reportedly injured after crashing an SUV into a canal in Albany on Monday afternoon, January 30.
A 52-year-old man driving a red Mazda Tribute ran off the road at Southwest Queen Avenue just before the intersection at Southwest Pacific Boulevard, partially submerging the vehicle in canal water.
A red Mazda Tribute went off the road and was partially submerged in canal water.
Cody Mann
Details of the crash were not immediately available, but Albany Police Department Community Engagement Officer Laura Hawkins said the driver may have suffered a medical episode of some kind and was taken to a local hospital and would be transferred to OHSU .
Hawkins could not confirm the severity of the injury, but said she thought it was serious. She says the driver saw him traveling at a high speed when he crashed.
Police taped off the area of the canal at the corner of SW Queen Avenue and Pacific Boulevard.
Cody Mann
“It’s a miracle that no one else was hit in that intersection,” Hawkins said.
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Hawkins said the driver was traveling on Queen and crossing the intersection before hitting rocks recently installed by I-5 Sports, launching him across the parking lot and into the canal.
Beer cans strewn across the canal bank came from the vehicle, Hawkins confirmed, but she said the driver had no alcohol in his system.
Beer cans spilled from the crashed SUV, but authorities said the driver had no alcohol in his system.
Cody Mann
No other vehicles were involved in the crash, and the driver was alone in the Mazda, according to Hawkins.
The city’s water department was notified of the accident and responded to the scene, and a tow truck was dispatched to pull the SUV from the canal. Hawkins said the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality will likely be notified of the accident as well.
There were minor traffic impacts after the crash as authorities worked to pull the vehicle out of the canal Monday, Jan. 30, 2023, in Albany.
Cody Mann
Authorities are trying to get video of the incident from a nearby business, Hawkins said.
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Cody Mann covers the cities of Corvallis and Philomath. He can be reached at 541-812-6113 or [email protected] Follow him on Twitter via @News_Mann_.
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