The occupants of two vehicles that collided at the intersection of Highway 20 and Priest Road Sunday afternoon walked away with no injuries other than bumps and bruises, Philomath Fire & Rescue reported.
The fire department, Benton County Sheriff’s Office and Philomath Police Department were dispatched at 2:01 p.m. to the scene, located about 6 miles west of Philomath. A Nissan Titan and Volkswagen Jetta were involved in the crash, which shut down the eastbound lane in that stretch for a couple of hours before the vehicles were towed away.
The Benton County Sheriff’s Office is in charge of the investigation.
Capt. Rich Saalsaa of Philomath Fire & Rescue said that upon arrival, all of the occupants were out of their vehicles with no injuries. He said airbags deployed in the Jetta, which sustained major damage when it struck the rear of the pickup.
The Titan’s truck bed also sustained heavy damage but the passengers in the cab were protected, Saalsaa added. Fire & Rescue crews helped stabilize the vehicles and put down absorbent material to soak up oil and antifreeze that had spilled on the highway.
While the eastbound lane was blocked, traffic was routed over into the westbound lane one direction at a time.
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