This story was updated with additional details at 2:06 p.m. Dec. 14.
A 48-year-old Eugene man driving on Fern Road lost control of his Toyota Sequoia on a curve in the fog late Sunday crashed into a power pole just north of Powder House Road, Philomath Fire and Rescue and the Benton County Sheriff’s Office reported.
Responders headed to the scene of the incident at 10:18 p.m. and found the motorist unable to get out of his SUV with all airbags deployed and the driver’s side door jammed shut, Deputy Fire Chief Rich Saalsaa said. Emergency crews assisted the driver out of the vehicle’s passenger door.
Saalsaa said the man was assessed for injuries determined to be minor and that he declined transportation to the hospital. The driver was the vehicle’s lone occupant.
The responding BCSO deputy reported that speed, road conditions and weather were factors in the crash. The driver reportedly just missed hitting a large oak tree before colliding with the power pole. The car came to rest nosed into another oak tree.
The driver said “he was going to fast for the turn and the light fog disoriented him,” according to a BCSO report that estimated his speed at 50 mph at the time of the crash.
Philomath Fire and Rescue’s response included a crew of three and an incident commander. The response represented the fire department’s 14th call over a three-day stretch from Friday through Sunday.
The Philomath Police Department also responded.