Editor’s note: This report is based on information submitted by the Oregon State Police. All crashes with fatalities may not be included. The status of incidents might change after further investigation.
FRIDAY, JULY 10
• 3:30 a.m. — Troopers responded to a single-vehicle crash on Highway 395 about 15 miles south of John Day that took the life of a 16-year-old girl. OSP’s preliminary investigation indicated that a blue Toyota Prius driven by a 17-year-old girl was traveling northbound at a high rate of speed when it failed to negotiate a curve and skidded across the southbound lane, crossed the gravel shoulder and traveled down a steep embankment. A 16-year-old girl passenger was ejected from the vehicle and declared deceased at the scene. The passenger is not believed to have been wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash. The Prius’s driver was transported to an area hospital with minor injuries. Impairment is not believed to have been a contributing factor in the crash.
• 12:47 p.m. — Troopers responded to a three-vehicle crash on Highway 20E near milepost 41 in Deschutes County. OSP’s preliminary investigation indicated that a westbound Chevrolet Silverado attempted to pass a black Dodge 4500 towing a trailer. An eastbound Hyundai Elantra attempted to avoid a collision with the Chevrolet, lost control in the gravel eastbound shoulder, veered into the westbound lane and collided with the trailer pulled by the Dodge 4500. The driver and passenger of the Dodge were transported by air medic to a local hospital with serious injuries. The Chevrolet’s operator was cited for careless driving and unsafe passing. Oregon State Police is seeking additional witnesses who may have seen the black Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck pulling a single-axle utility trailer on Highway 20E near milepost 41 on July 10. Anyone with information is asked to call the OSP Northern Command Center dispatch at 800-442-0776 or *OSP (*677) from a mobile phone (reference case SP26-255130).
SATURDAY, JULY 11
• 2:06 p.m. — Troopers responded to a two-vehicle crash on Highway 18 near Newberg that took the life of Jayce Alan Hall, 19, of Salem. OSP’s preliminary investigation indicated that Hall was driving a westbound Honda Civic when it failed to negotiate a turn, drifted into the eastbound lane and collided head-on with a semitruck driven by a 43-year-old Portland man. Hall was pronounced deceased at the scene. A Honda passenger, an 18-year-old Salem man, was transported to an area hospital with serious injuries. The semitruck driver was not injured, remained on scene and was cooperative with the investigation.
MONDAY, JULY 13
• 10:07 a.m. — Troopers responded to a single-vehicle crash on U.S. 101 approximately 1 mile south of Coos Bay that took the life of a juvenile passenger. OSP’s preliminary investigation indicated that a northbound Chevrolet Venture van driven by a 29-year-old Coos Bay man drifted off the roadway into the median separating the northbound and southbound lanes. The vehicle overcorrected, traveled across both northbound lanes and left the roadway. It went down an embankment, rolled and came to rest on its roof. The juvenile passenger was transported to an area hospital and later pronounced deceased. The van’s driver was transported to an area hospital with serious injuries. Prior to the arrival of medical services, a passerby performed CPR on the juvenile until first responders arrived. The Oregon State Police acknowledges the actions of the passerby and recognizes that motor vehicle crashes involving children are especially traumatic for all involved.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 15
• 4:10 a.m. — Oregon State Police arrested a driver who entered a closed Interstate 84 off-ramp in Hood River and struck two Oregon Department of Transportation workers. The Exit 64 eastbound off-ramp had been closed while crews worked to remove a crashed commercial motor vehicle and its trailer. Despite the closure, the driver of a white Porsche entered the off-ramp and told workers he needed to take the exit to get to work. As the Porsche drove through the closure, it allegedly struck two ODOT workers who were staffing the area. Neither worker was injured and both declined medical treatment. The driver, a 43-year-old Hood River man, left before law enforcement arrived. At approximately 5:46 p.m., OSP troopers located the vehicle and conducted a traffic stop. The man was arrested and booked into the Northern Oregon Regional Correctional Facility for reckless driving, two counts of recklessly endangering another person and recklessly endangering highway workers. OSP reminds motorists that highway work zones are in place to protect both workers and the traveling public. Drivers are required to obey traffic control devices, road closures and directions from roadway workers.