PENDLETON — The Hyatt family on Monday, Feb. 21, was heading west on Interstate 84, bound for their home in Yelm, Washington, when they became involved in one of the biggest traffic smashups in Eastern Oregon in years.

Marjorie Hyatt, a kindergarten assistant, her husband, Carter Hyatt, a vocational therapist, and their son Jacob, a sophomore in high school, were returning from a trip to Utah, where they were a part of their daughter’s engagement, including picking out her dress and ring.

“We had a wonderful weekend,” Carter said.

On the way back in their Nissan Pathfinder, they stopped in Boise to spend the night of Feb. 20 with Jacob’s brother, then headed out the morning of Feb. 21 for the final leg of the trek home.

Marjorie was asleep, Jacob was in the backseat watching one of “The Lord of the Rings” movies and Carter was driving. He said they were going to stop at the rest area at Deadman Pass, near milepost 229, when he saw jackknifed semitrailers on the road ahead.

“I kind of swerved,” he recalled. “I was able to miss a couple of cars and trucks.”

But he tapped the brakes, he said, and lost control of the car.

The front of their Nissan smashed into the rear driver’s side of an Amazon semitrailer. The collision tore apart the front of the car, and the engine ended up on the asphalt.

But the Nissan’s safety features worked well, Carter said. The airbags, seat belts and crumple zones protected the family.

“We’re all pretty much fine,” Marjorie said.

The Hyatts were part of a series of crashes that began around noon near milepost 230, stretched 1.75 miles and involved more than 170 vehicles, according to press releases from the Oregon Department of Transportation and Oregon State Police. OSP on Feb. 22 reported 17 patients were transported from the crash scene to hospitals and an additional two were transported after they arrived at Pendleton Convention Center, which served as a reunification hub for people in the crash.

First responders arrive amid continuing collisions

Oregon State Police, local law enforcement, fire and medics from agencies throughout Umatilla and Union counties responded to the crashes, along with help from Walla Walla County in Washington. Pendleton Fire Chief Jim Critchley said the wrecks stretched for at least a mile. The Hyatts described the emergency response as impressive.

Responding officers were notified of additional crashes while they were arriving, and then once on scene, they could hear collisions occurring behind them, according to a press release from the OSP. The Hyatts heard those crashes, too.

“Bam, bam, bam,” Carter Hyatt said. “They just kept hitting.”

Marjorie said the sounds were unnerving. The Hyatts stayed in their vehicle, even without heat, for protection.

Capt. Merle Laci with the La Grande Fire Department said two ambulances and one rescue rig were on scene from Union County, with crews from Union and Island City fire departments on standby. The La Grande Fire Department sent eight personnel to the scene.

As of 3:35 p.m. Feb. 21, rescue vehicles and ambulances from the La Grande Fire Department had returned to the station, according to Laci. La Grande Fire Department confirmed they transported three individuals from the scene to Grande Ronde Hospital.

Nick Oatley, spokesperson with Umatilla County Fire District No. 1, said the Hermiston-based fire department also responded, sending three ambulances to the scene. Good Shepherd Medical Center, Hermiston, reported it did not receive any crash victims.

Hospitals at the ready

Elaine LaRochelle, incident commander at Grande Ronde Hospital, La Grande, activated the hospital’s incident command system at 2 p.m., according to a press release from Mardi Ford, public information officer.

“We are preparing to support any patients sent our way with emergency services and medical care,” Ford said in the release. “We do not have any news on distribution of patients to be sent our way. However, we are prepared to assist in this emergency. We are cooperating fully with all regional partners, including our media contacts, to do what we can to keep everyone informed. Our primary mission, however, is to provide emergency services and medical care to patients in need. Once we know more, we will issue an update.”

Emily Smith, director of communications for St. Anthony Hospital, Pendleton, reported that as of 3 p.m. the hospital had received six patients from the crash.

“The patients’ statuses are unknown at this time,” she reported, “and no information on ages, etc., is available to the media at this time.”

Smith also explained how St. Anthony responds to this kind of crisis.

“When we receive word of an incident like this, the hospital activates Code D, or disaster response,” according to Smith. “Available staff (off-duty) are called and asked to come in based on current personnel needs as well as staffing for the next shift. Patients are seen in the Emergency Department as well as other care areas of the hospital as appropriate for their level of injury. We have an extensive disaster plan that is drilled with local emergency response teams to ensure we are prepared for situations like this when they arise.”

Interstate reopens sooner than expected

The mass crash shut down the westbound and eastbound lanes of the freeway in Eastern Oregon. Eastbound was closed Feb. 21 between Exit 216, 6 miles east of Pendleton, and Exit 265 at La Grande, while westbound was closed between Exit 374 at Ontario and Exit 216.

The Oregon Department of Transportation reported the eastbound lanes reopened about 12:30 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 22. The westbound side remained closed until about 6 a.m.

“Good coordination with all responding crews, including law enforcement, fire stations, emergency responders, ODOT and over a half dozen tow companies helped clear the route enough to open the freeway several hours ahead of earlier estimates,” according to the press release from ODOT.

Disabled vehicles were removed from the road with some being staged at the nearby truck weigh station and rest area.

“Outstanding response from our tow companies and all who responded, including law enforcement and EMS,” ODOT District 12 Manager Marilyn Holt said in the release. “They got everyone out fast, which made clearing the scene go well.”

Pendleton Convention Center provides respite

The Hyatts said emergency personnel checked on them often, and they appreciated that. And many of the other travelers stranded in the crash helped one another, they said, offering water and making sure people were OK.

“There were people, regular people,” Marjorie Hyatt said. “All that was really nice.”

When school buses arrived to carry the Hyatts and so many more off the mountain, they said they had to cross the median to the eastbound lanes. Marjorie banged her knee on the fence, but firefighters were right there to help. And she said the Oregon State Police trooper who had checked on them earlier assisted them onto the bus.

The buses took groups to the Pendleton Convention Center. The facility’s manager, Pat Beard, said the center was holding events that day but it opened rooms for the people in the crash and provided what hospitality it could while they waited for rides from family or friends or made arrangements for other accommodations.

The center also served as something of a base of operations for law enforcement, Umatilla County Public Health and more. Beard praised the coordination he witnessed among the different groups.

The Hyatts were among the last from the crash to still be at the convention center that evening. Bags of chips and other snacks lined the long tables of the large room they were in. A family member was on the way to help the Hyatts get home, they said, probably around 7 that night.

Their smashed Nissan, as far as they knew, still was at the site of the crash. Carter said all their luggage was in the car, so he anticipated having to make a trip back to gather their belongings.

The Hyatts said they had never experienced anything like this emergency, and they did not want to be in another. But their concerns were for others.

“I hope everyone gets out,” Marjorie said.

The Umatilla County Emergency Operations Center was activated for the Feb. 21 crash. Several agencies worked together to coordinate the response to this large-scale incident:

Oregon State Police

Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office

Umatilla County Emergency Management

Pendleton Fire

Umatilla County Fire District One

Pilot Rock Fire

East Umatilla County Fire and Rescue

CTUIR Fire and Ambulance

CTUIR Emergency Management

La Grande Fire and Ambulance

Oregon Department of Transportation

Additional medic units from Union and Walla Walla counties

Along with a half dozen tow companies