Construction Flagger Killed, Jan. 14

On Wednesday, January 13, 2021, at approximately 10:45 A.M., Oregon State Police Troopers and emergency personnel responded to a vehicle incident on Hwy 26 near milepost 32. Preliminary investigation revealed that Portland General Electric (PGE) employees were repairing damaged power lines on the north side of Hwy 26. A PGE truck, operated by Joshua Rinard (41) of Sandy, was being repositioned when it backed into, Brenda Stader (50) of Portland, who was working as a flagger to assist with traffic control. PGE was utilizing flaggers contracted through Northwest Traffic Control. Stader sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced deceased.