Slippery road conditions were factors in crashes that occurred Wednesday afternoon in Kings Valley and Thursday morning in Philomath, the Benton County Sheriff’s Office reported.
Emergency medical services personnel and law enforcement responded to a report of a crash at 5:19 p.m. Wednesday on Maxfield Creek Road about 4 miles east of its intersection with Kings Valley Highway.
BCSO determined that the vehicle, a 2008 Chevrolet Silverado driven by a 31-year-old Monmouth man, had been heading northeast on Maxfield Creek Road when it lost traction on an icy corner.
“Four wheel skid marks at the scene suggest that the vehicle was sideways as the tires entered the dirt,” BCSO reported. “The vehicle then rolled into the creek just southwest of the Weyerhauser gate. The vehicle was upside down, pointed southwest, with no signs of passengers being ejected.”
BCSO said the back window of the pickup had been broken out and it appeared that the driver and any other possible occupants had crawled out.
Philomath Fire and Rescue responded to the incident and BCSO said the crew broke out the driver’s side windows to check for occupants. Nobody was found in or near the vehicle.
“After searching the area, I requested for Monmouth PD to contact the registered owner at his residence,” the BCSO deputy who responded to the scene reported. “I was notified the driver got a ride home and was going to Urgent Care to get checked out.”
A tow truck company removed the pickup from the scene.
Road conditions were also cited as the cause of a single-vehicle crash Thursday morning on Grange Hall Road, BCSO said. Law enforcement and the fire department were dispatched to the scene at 7:39 a.m. to find a 1997 Toyota 4Runner that had flipped onto the passenger side on the bridge over Greasy Creek just east of Marys River Grange Hall.
The driver, a 16-year-old girl, was able to exit the vehicle on her own and was reportedly not injured.
