A contractor’s crewmen work on repairing wiring damaged in Sunday’s crash near Third Avenue and Lyon Street.
Repairs were under way Monday at Third Avenue and Lyon Street in downtown Albany following a traffic crash on Sunday evening that sheared off a signal mast.
The remaining signal lights at the intersection are off until the mast is replaced. The intersection will be a thee-way stop intersection until further notice.
When I went past the intersection on my bike about 4:30 Monday afternoon, traffic on Lyon was heavy, but drivers seemed to be coping.
To explain what happened there, here’s the account provided by the Albany police:
“On Sunday evening, October 5, 2025, at approximately 7:28 p.m., Albany Police Officers responded to a report of a motor vehicle crash with injuries in the 200 block of Lyon Street SE, in downtown Albany.Â
“The investigation determined that Sean Royce, 47 years old of Albany, was driving a 2025 GM Hummer EV northbound on Lyon Street with his wife in the front passenger seat and their two daughters—ages four years and an infant—seated in the middle row. Mr. Royce experienced a sudden medical emergency, which caused him to lose motor control and blackout. His foot remained on the accelerator as the vehicle approached 4th Avenue.
“”In a quick-thinking effort to prevent a collision with other vehicles, Mr. Royce’s wife took control of the steering wheel. The vehicle veered onto the west sidewalk at 4th Avenue and continued at a high rate of speed for approximately a block and a half. During this time, the vehicle struck and destroyed multiple public fixtures, including trees, light poles, telecommunication equipment, and utility boxes. The vehicle ultimately came to a stop after shearing off a traffic signal pole at the intersection of 3rd Avenue and Lyon Street.
“Despite the extensive damage to public infrastructure, no pedestrians were injured, no other vehicles were involved, and no buildings sustained damage. Remarkably, the vehicle’s passenger compartments remained intact, and none of the occupants appeared to be injured in the crash. The four-year-old child was reported to be in good spirits at the scene.
“Mr. Royce and his wife were transported to Albany General Hospital for medical evaluation. Their children accompanied their mother in the ambulance.
“Crews from ODOT, Albany Public Works, Pacific Power, Comcast, and other utility providers responded to assess and clear the scene, which took several hours. As of this release, the intersection of Lyon Street and 3rd Avenue is operating as a four-way stop due to the downed traffic signal.
“The Albany Police Department commends the swift response of all involved agencies and is grateful that no serious injuries occurred in this incident.”
Well, since Lyon is a one-way street northbound, what existed there on Monday was a three-way stop situation. And from what I could see during a few minutes of peak traffic Monday afternoon, drivers were adapting well. (hh)
On Monday afternoon, drivers wait at Third and Lyon, turned into a three-way stop until the signal can be replaced.
Thanks for this update.
My question is.. who pays for this ? The taxpayers or his insurance ? Just curious..
The driver/car owner is financially responsible for the damages. Assuming they have insurance then their insurance company will pay for the repairs up to the limits of the policy. If the cost of the repairs exceeds that limit or if they do not have insurance, then the injured parties can try to recover their cost directly from the drivers/owner. After this any costs will be bourn by the city/taxpayers and the utilities/users.
Hasso: Your headline says, “Aftermath of a ‘one-car’ crash.” A Hummer “ain’t a car.”
It’s a knock-off of a heavy military vehicle, and you reported that the Albany Police said it was traveling at “high speed” when it was mowing out a lot of the infrastructure of Lyon and 3rd Street. Probably because the 47-year-old man’s foot was stuck in the “on the floorboard” position. I echo what “Just Curious” typed; that is, “who pays for this”?
“The four-year-old child was reported to be in good spirits at the scene.” Would love to hear the back story on that! If it were one of my grandchildren at four years old, if might have sounded like “Woo Hoo, Mom! That was fun! Can we do it again?”
I passed by on third early Monday morning and wondered what was going on. Thanks for the report, Hasso
We have been dealing with this problem for several days. I completely understand this was an abnormal accident. However, I don’t understand why the Albany Police department could not place an officer at that intersection during rush hour to direct traffic. I think this is in every officer’s training. ONE officer would resolve the bottleneck.
Typed October 9, 2025: The traffic lights are now working at 3rd and Lyon!! So, they are operating a lot sooner than a lot of people thought they would.
When we allow 10,000lb electric SUVs on the streets, this is the kind of destruction we can expect. We’re lucky its huge battery didn’t catch fire. Those fires are almost impossible to put out.