A 40-year-old Corvallis man was killed early Sunday in a single-vehicle crash on Highway 99W south of Llewellyn Road, the Benton County Sheriff’s Office reported.
Deputies were dispatched to the scene at 1 a.m. May 7 and found that a vehicle traveling south had left the highway on the west side and crashed into a steep ditch with a paved culvert. The driver was found deceased.
BCSO reported that alcohol is believed to have been a factor in the crash.
The highway was completely closed for about 20 minutes and traffic was reduced to one lane for approximately three hours. The Oregon Department of Transportation assisted with traffic control.
BCSO deputies have responded to four fatal crashes so far this year, three of which the law enforcement agency said involved intoxicated drivers.
Benton County Sheriff Jef Van Arsdall continues to provide increased traffic patrols through grant funding by ODOT and encourages drivers to report erratic behavior such as passing in no-passing zones, following too closely, excessive speeding or failing to maintain their lane.
“Have your passenger call 911 immediately. If you are traveling alone, find a safe place to pull over and call 911 to report the location, direction of travel, license plate and description of the vehicle,” BCSO said in a press release.