CORBETT, Ore. (KOIN 6) – A fleet of tow trucks took over the gravel road near Bridal Veil Creek near Angel’s Rest trail head Tuesday in an effort to remove at least six abandoned vehicles.
The vehicles were all illegally abandoned or stolen and then ditched by the suspect or suspects who rolled them off Palmer Mill Road. The vehicles have ended up anywhere from 50 to 100 feet off the main road. Some of them have been in the woods for more than seven years, the sheriff’s office said.
Loop Hi-Way Towing is heading up Tuesday’s retrieval efforts. They said it takes a lot of skill and luck to remove the vehicles. Chuck Miline donned a harness, hard hat and a 100-foot rope to help guide him down the embankment.
When he got to the vehicles, he relayed vehicle identification number and license plate data over a two-way radio to Multnomah County Sheriff Deputy Joe Graziano. Once Graziano had the information, he jumped into his patrol car to run the vehicles through state databases.
He was checking to see if they were stolen. At least one vehicle came back as reported stolen. Others would take more research to figure out how they ended up down the embankment. One of the vehicles pulled out was last registered in 1986. Tracking the owner could be next to impossible.
It’s illegal to abandon a vehicle without notifying the state, and also illegal to leave a car on private or state property. Don Nelson, who hikes in the Columbia River Gorge often, said that he has counted at least 30 vehicles on trails throughout the area.
He said the Gorge is a prime spot for people to ditch cars. Often times the vehicles, once pushed over, fall down steep embankments and then get covered by brush. Some of the vehicles Nelson found ended up on the banks of Bridal Veil Creek. Nelson said there are environmental concerns because of the fluids that leak from the vehicles.
The cost to retrieve the cars is unknown. Insurance companies will cover the cost for any vehicle reported stolen. The tow company will then sell the abandoned vehicles for scrap metal to make up the cost.
If deputies are able to identify and prove who left the vehicles behind, they could seek criminal charges and restitution.
Anyone who sees evidence of freshly abandoned vehicle in Multnomah County should report it to non-emergency dispatch at 503.823.3333.