POSTED: 4:08 pm PDT September 18, 2009
A crash involving up to 26 motorcycles and two cars resulted in critical injuries to two bikers Friday afternoon, state police said.
Mike Towner, a captain with Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue, described the crash scene as "ordered mayhem" when firefighters arrived at the scene.
"There were almost two dozen motorcycles scattered across the freeway," Towner said. "Firefighters from Aurora and Canby were providing medical care to injured bikers as non-injured bikers tried to assist."
The collision at 2:45 p.m. closed lanes of Interstate 5 near the Baldock Rest Area south of Wilsonville for several hours. A LifeFlight helicopter rushed two of the motorcyclists to a hospital to be treated. Ambulances transported eight other people.
The two motorcyclists who were taken by LifeFlight, Herbert Sinclair and David Bowyer, both from Idaho, remained in critical condition Friday night, state police said.
Lt. Gregg Hastings said the motorcyclists belong to the Brother Speed motorcycle club. The club's Web site says the club is "serious about brotherhood, respect, riding fast and building Choppers."
According to Oregon State Police, the motorcyclists were in the left lane on I-5 near milepost 22 when traffic ahead began to slow. The motorcycles and a car in front of the group also started to slow, but collided with one another. A car in the middle I-5 north lane was struck by one of the motorcycles, police said.
Tualatin Valley fire officials said the crash victims transported by ambulance suffered shoulder and hip injuries as well as broken bones.
A number of agencies responded to the wreck, including firefighters and paramedics from Canby, St. Paul and Woodburn, in addition to Tualatin Valley.
All lanes of I-5 northbound were closed until about 4 p.m. when one lane reopened. A police investigation kept the other lanes closed until 6 p.m.
It's not known why the motorcycle group was traveling in such large numbers. Their intended destination is also unknown.
The motorcycle club is for owners of 'choppers' such as the one in this file photo
26 motorcycles and two cars have piled up on the Interstate 5 road in Oregon, United States. Two bikers have been critically injured.

The crash occurred near the Baldock Rest Area, which is just south of Wilsonville, at 2:45 p.m. Friday. The group of motorbikes, belonging to members of the Brother Speed club, was in the left (fast) lane behind one of the cars when traffic slowed down. Despite attempts to take evasive action, the bikes and car collided. The second car was hit by a motorbike that veered into the middle lane.

The bikes were in a formation of two columns — standard for large motorbike parties.  According to eyewitness Terry Scott, a silver SUV suddenly slammed on its brakes and while the leading two bikers managed to swerve out of the way, the rest were caught up in a chain reaction.  "There were bikes and people and gear flying," said Scott, who had been driving with his girlfriend behind the bikes.

The crash scene was "ordered mayhem" according to Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue's captain Mike Towner. "Firefighters from Aurora and Canby were providing medical care to injured bikers as non-injured bikers tried to assist," he said.

A LifeFlight air ambulance took two bikers to hospital and eight more were taken away by ambulances. Some bikers suffered from broken bones as well as shoulder and hip injuries. KPTV quotes the club's website as saying that they are "serious about brotherhood, respect, riding fast and building Choppers."

The accident was responded to by paramedics and firefighters from various locations, including Canby, St. Paul, Woodburn and those from the multi-city Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue. The entire road was closed northbound until 4 p.m., when one lane was reopened. Investigators kept the other lanes closed until 6 p.m.