Icy road conditions reportedly contributed to three crashes over the past three days in rural areas outside Philomath.
“We are expecting icy conditions again this evening (Tuesday) and warn folks to not travel unless needed — and if needed, to slow down as many of the roads in the area are extremely icy with daytime melt and refreeze at night,” Philomath Fire and Rescue Deputy Fire Chief Rich Saalsaa said, adding that freezing fog also factors into the hazardous travel situation. “Problem roads include Fern, Llewellyn, Decker, Bellfountain, Chapel and Kings Valley Highway.”
Philomath Fire and Rescue responded to a report at 6:16 p.m. Sunday of a vehicle that slid off Maxfield Creek Road and hit a tree about 4 miles east of its intersection with Kings Valley Highway. A mother and child in the vehicle were not injured, Saalsaa said.
Philomath sent an engine with three personnel to assist Hoskins-Kings Valley Rural Fire and the Corvallis Fire Department. Saalsaa mentioned that Philomath Fire and Rescue Capt. Viktor Bovbjerg kept the mother and child out of the cold until a tow truck arrived.
Early Monday evening, another vehicle slid off Maxfield Creek Road in a spot just beyond the Sunday crash about 5 miles east of the Kings Valley High intersection. The incident sent three people to the hospital and totaled the vehicle.
The Benton County Sheriff’s Office responded at 5:30 p.m. Monday and upon arrival, found that all three occupants of the vehicle, a 2005 Nissan Frontier pickup, had self-extricated.
The three individuals, two women and a man all in their early 30s, were transported to Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center in Corvallis reportedly with minor injuries.
According to the BCSO’s preliminary investigation, the vehicle had left Maxfield Creek Road due to icy conditions and rolled over into a ditch. A mailbox alongside the road was damaged. No citations were issued to the driver, a 33-year-old man from Salem.
Philomath Fire and Rescue started to respond to the crash but was canceled en route.
Then on Tuesday at 6:59 a.m., Philomath Fire and Rescue was dispatched to a single-vehicle rollover on Bellfountain Road in an area between south of Starr Creek Road and an electrical substation. The driver and a passenger were out of the vehicle upon arrival with one suffering minor hand injuries. Emergency transportation to the hospital was not needed, Saalsaa said.
Saalsaa was the incident commander on the call and a rescue vehicle with two other personnel assisted Corvallis Fire and BCSO at the scene.
