Moscow councilman missing after accident

THE DALLES, Ore. – A Moscow, Idaho, city councilman went missing after stopping to help at the scene of a traffic accident, and authorities say he may have fallen or jumped into the John Day River to avoid a second accident.

John Dickinson, 62, of Moscow, stopped his vehicle Sunday night behind a car that had crashed after swerving to avoid debris on an Interstate 84 bridge east of The Dalles, the Oregon State Police said.

Dickinson got out of his car, which another motorist then struck from behind. Dickinson couldn’t be found at the scene, and state troopers said he may have fallen off the bridge or jumped the concrete railing, which is 3 1/2 feet high.

Search crews on Monday failed to find Dickinson, who was recently named president of the Moscow City Council. The river is more than 80 feet deep in the area of the crash and the surface water temperature is about 40 degrees, police said.

Two other people involved in the accident suffered minor injuries.