A female motorist who crashed off a slippery Highway 20 on Wren Hill was transported to Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center on Sunday afternoon with non-life-threatening injuries, Philomath Fire & Rescue reported.
The local fire department was dispatched to the scene of the incident at 12:52 p.m. March 26 in an area on the highway near Mouse Mountain Road, located about 3.5 miles northwest of Philomath.
Rich Saalsaa, Philomath Fire & Rescue deputy fire chief, was the first on the scene.
“On arrival, the vehicle with a single passenger was discovered 50 yards from westbound Highway 20 and 40 feet up an embankment near trees,” Saalsaa said. “Another passerby had stopped to check on the person and call 911.”
The driver reported that she had been traveling eastbound on Highway 20 and lost control of the vehicle after creating Wren Hill due to ice on the road.
“A strong hailstorm squall had just passed through the area at the time, with ice and rain mixture, turning visibility low and the highway surface slippery,” Saalsaa said. “Thankfully, the driver did not encounter any westbound traffic at the time of the accident.”
After leaving the road, the vehicle climbed an embankment and struck a large tree.
Saalsaa said the woman was escorted to an ambulance under her own power and transported to the hospital.
Philomath Fire & Rescue’s response included an engine with a three-person crew. The Corvallis Fire Department and Benton County Sheriff’s Office assisted at the scene.