A potential pin was reported in a motor vehicle crash on eastbound Highway 26 west of the tunnel early Friday morning, prompting a response from Portland Fire & Rescue. According to a passerby’s account relayed by the department, a community member broke out the vehicle’s window and helped pull the driver free.
Portland Fire & Rescue posted on social media at 12:50 a.m. on November 13, 2026, that it was “responding to a potential pin in a motor vehicle crash on eastbound 26 west of the tunnel,” according to Portland Fire & Rescue
. Portland Fire & Rescue relayed the passerby’s account that a community member broke the window and helped the driver out of the vehicle.
Highway 26’s stretch near the tunnel west of downtown Portland has seen serious crashes before. In September 2016, a five-vehicle collision just east of the Vista Ridge Tunnel — one that included a truck towing a trailer — sent three people to Oregon Health & Science University Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to OregonLive. That 2016 crash was separate from Friday’s report.
A Frequent Trouble Spot for Commuters
The tunnel corridor has also been the site of other traffic disruptions reported by local outlets. A crash just east of the Vista Ridge Tunnel delayed eastbound traffic on one occasion, per a report from KOIN, which cited the Oregon Department of Transportation as saying a crash near Milepost 74 impacted multiple eastbound lanes starting just after 6 p.m. and was expected to affect traffic for at least two hours. KOIN later reported the highway had reopened by 8:15 p.m. that Saturday.
Separately, KATU reported that a crash closed all eastbound lanes of Highway 26 at the Vista Ridge Tunnel, with the lanes reopening after a crash on a Sunday evening.
Portland Fire & Rescue reported a potential pin on eastbound Highway 26 west of the tunnel and relayed a secondhand account of a community member stepping in to help free the driver. Hoodline will update this story if the department or other officials release further details.
