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.
WEDNESDAY, AUG. 5
• 5:14 p.m. — Troopers responded to a two-vehicle crash on Highway 101 near Langlois in Curry County that took the lives of Joni Marie Williams, 63, of Bandon, and Hunter Lee Sturgill, 18, of Coos Bay. OSP’s preliminary investigation indicated that Williams’s southbound Buick Lucerne was traveling near Langlois when it crossed the centerline for an unknown reason and collided head-on with Sturgill’s northbound Pontiac Vibe. Both drivers were pronounced deceased at the scene. The highway was closed for approximately three hours during the investigation.
• 5:56 p.m. — Troopers responded to a two-vehicle crash on Highway 58 near Oakridge in Lane County that took the lives of Marjorie Rae Spence, 40, of Eugene, and Colton Zachary Bias, 25, of Springfield. OSP’s preliminary investigation indicated that Bias’s westbound Toyota 4Runner was traveling near Oakridge when it entered the oncoming lane of travel for an unknown reason and collided head-on with an eastbound semitruck driven by a 60-year-old Springfield man. Spence, a passenger in the 4Runner, was pronounced deceased at the scene. Bias was transported to an area hospital, where he later died from his injuries. A second 4Runner passenger, a 38-year-old Westfir woman, was transported to an area hospital with minor injuries. The truck driver was not injured. The highway was closed for approximately four hours during the investigation.
SATURDAY, AUG. 8
• 10:39 p.m. — Troopers responded to a single-vehicle crash on Highway 140 near milepost 56 in a remote area of Lake County that took the life of Juan Luis Perez Garcia, 23, of Tule Lake, California. OSP’s preliminary investigation indicated that Perez Garcia’s eastbound Dodge Challenger left the roadway for an unknown reason and rolled several times down an embankment. Perez Garcia was pronounced deceased at the scene. A passenger, a 20-year-old Tule Lake, California, man, was transported by air ambulance to an area hospital with serious injuries.
SUNDAY, AUG. 9
• 12:38 p.m. — Troopers responded to a three-vehicle crash on Highway 101 near the Cape Ferrelo Viewpoint in Curry County that took the life of Louis Henry Vowell III, 36, of Sisters. OSP’s preliminary investigation indicated that Vowell’s northbound Triumph motorcycle was traveling at a high rate of speed when it attempted to overtake multiple vehicles in a passing lane and collided with the rear of a Mazda CX-5, driven by a 56-year-old Pulaski, Arkansas, man, which was turning westbound into the viewpoint. Vowell was thrown from the motorcycle and struck by a Mercedes Sprinter van, driven by a 58-year-old Rogue River man. Vowell was pronounced deceased at the scene. The Mazda’s driver and two adult passengers were not injured, and the Mercedes’ driver and an adult passenger were not injured. The highway was closed for approximately two hours during the investigation.
TUESDAY, AUG. 11
• 2:15 p.m. — Troopers responded to a single-vehicle crash on Interstate 84 near Pendleton in Umatilla County that took the life of Riley Finnegan McGowan, 21, of Woodinville, Washington. OSP’s preliminary investigation indicated an eastbound Honda CR-V, driven by a 51-year-old Woodinville, Washington, man, left the freeway for an unknown reason, entered the median, became airborne, and landed in the center lane of Highway 395, where it caught fire and became engulfed in flames. Troopers extricated the driver from the vehicle. McGowan, a passenger, was pronounced deceased at the scene. The driver was transported to an area hospital with serious injuries. Highway 395 was closed for approximately two hours during the investigation.
• 2:43 p.m. — Troopers responded to a three-vehicle crash on Interstate 84 about 14 miles west of Arlington in Gilliam County that took the life of James Thomas Raugust, 77, of Ocean Shores, Washington. OSP’s preliminary investigation indicated that Raugust’s westbound Land Rover LR4, hauling an Airstream trailer, had pulled onto the right shoulder with a flat tire. An Oregon Department of Transportation Ford F550 maintenance truck, driven by an Arlington man, had stopped behind the disabled vehicle to assist, blocking the right lane with a large electronic reader board alerting oncoming traffic to move over. A westbound Toyota Highlander, driven by a 48-year-old Vancouver, Washington, man, struck the rear of the ODOT truck, lost control, and struck Raugust and the ODOT driver as they changed the flat tire. Raugust was pronounced deceased at the scene. The ODOT driver was transported by Life Flight to an area hospital with serious injuries. A passenger in the Land Rover, an 80-year-old Ocean Shores, Washington, woman, reported minor injuries. The Toyota’s driver also reported minor injuries. The highway was closed for approximately three hours during the investigation. The crash remains under investigation.