National

Distracted driver staring at traffic cones hits pole, WA cops say. ‘It happened again’

A driver walked walked away with a minor cut after crashing into a pole in Vancouver, Washington, police said.
A driver walked walked away with a minor cut after crashing into a pole in Vancouver, Washington, police said. Vancouver Police Department

A distracted driver was staring at traffic cones in a Washington street when he crashed, police said.

It happened again, folks,” the Vancouver Police Department said in a July 23 Facebook post.

The car was found lodged against a pole. Photos show the vehicle smashed on the driver’s side.

It happened again, folks. This driver was distracted by traffic cones on Mill Plain, which led to him being completely...

Posted by Vancouver Police Department on Tuesday, July 23, 2024

Police said the driver only had a minor cut from the incident and walked away.

“Let’s all try to pay attention to the road and not cones (too much), spiders or sandwiches,” police said in the post.

This isn’t the first time police from this department have responded to crashes involving distracted drivers.

Police said they suspect the 16-year-old was texting and driving before the crash in Vancouver, Washington.
Police said they suspect the 16-year-old was texting and driving before the crash in Vancouver, Washington. Vancouver Police Department

A 16-year-old driver told police she was swiping away a spider web when she flipped her vehicle July 5, McClatchy News reported.

The newly licensed driver crashed into several parked cars, police said.

Another distracted driver reached for his dropped chicken sandwich, crashed into a pole and flipped his car, according to police.

The 46-year-old had minor injuries and didn’t show any signs of impairment, police said.

Vancouver is near the Washington-Oregon border, about a 10-mile drive north from Portland.

A driver rolled his vehicle after trying to pick up a dropped sandwich, police said. He had minor injuries.
A driver rolled his vehicle after trying to pick up a dropped sandwich, police said. He had minor injuries. Vancouver Police Department
Read Next
Read Next
Read Next

This story was originally published July 25, 2024 at 4:04 PM with the headline "Distracted driver staring at traffic cones hits pole, WA cops say. ‘It happened again’."

Helena Wegner
McClatchy DC
Helena Wegner is a McClatchy National Real-Time Reporter covering the state of Washington and the western region. She’s a journalism graduate from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. She’s based in Phoenix.
Get unlimited digital access
#ReadLocal

Try 1 month for $1

CLAIM OFFER