An I-82 driver stopped to pee near Tri-Cities. He and his runaway car ended up in a ditch

A driver who stopped to relieve himself along Interstate 82 near Finley on Thursday night ended up at the bottom of an embankment along with his car.

The man was heading south toward Oregon when he pulled off to the side of highway to pee near the Finley exit about 9 p.m., said a Benton County Fire District 1 Facebook post.

The man climbed out but forgot to shift his car into park.

His car rolled backward off the side of the interstate, down the embankment. When he tried to follow it down the hill, he lost his footing and roll down after it.

He managed to call his adult children for help, but didn’t know where he was and had hurt his hand.

His children called 911, and firefighters and the Washington State Patrol started looking for him.

They soon found his car about 75 yards off the interstate just past the Highway 397 exit for Finley.

The driver wasn’t seriously injured but was taken to a hospital to be checked, said the post.

This story was originally published February 2, 2024 at 12:06 PM.