Reckless freeway driver injures two, snarls traffic from Gateway to Vancouver

Wonder why southbound traffic on I-205 was at a standstill, midday, on May 5th? The victims are still wondering, too. Read their story here‚

These two cars were too damaged to drive‚ and a man was sent to the hospital‚ because, on May 5, police say that one person was driving recklessly.

Story and photos by David F. Ashton
Imagine traveling south on I-205, just after noon, on a delightful sunny Saturday.

You’re driving in the inside lane, allowing motorists to enter and exit the freeway as you pass under the E Burnside St. viaduct.

From nowhere, a speeding car cuts off traffic, and smashes into your vehicle‚ sending it spinning into the guardrail.

When you come to a stop, you’re dazed and injured.

Portland Fire & Rescue medics stabilize Brandon Shaver‚ a victim of the accident‚ before transporting him to the hospital for an evaluation.

“I didn’t know how badly I was hurt,” Brandon Shaver, driver of the car into which the speeder smashed, told us after he got out of the hospital this week.

“It was scary,” adds his wife and the vehicle’s passenger, Carmen Hunt Shaver. “One minute you’re going along, and then, smash! A car is crashing into you.”

Traffic on I-205 is backed up across the river into Vancouver, as rescue crews clear the crash site between E Burnside and SE Stark Streets.

Says “Asleep at the wheel”
As we watch Brandon being whisked away in the waiting ambulance, we notice a young man being questioned at the scene. He is taken away in handcuffs.

“The driver charged with the accident,” says Portland Police Bureau’s Sgt. Brian Schmautz informs us, “is 22-year-old Kiroll Zibrov.”

Police say Kiroll Zibrov claimed he was sleepy — but Portland Police Officers take him in in cuffs, arrested on a charge of Reckless Driving.

According to accident reports, Schmautz says, “Zibrov’s speed is estimated at 80 mph; he was driving all over the road. He lost control of vehicle, swerved and skidded into the victim’s vehicle. It is noted that he told officers he fell asleep while driving.”

Zibrov is under arrest for Reckless Driving, Schmautz adds.

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