Bend man dies of injuries from Redmond crash

(Update: Bend man dies of crash injuries)

A 77-year-old Bend man who was critically injured in a crash on Highway 126 in Redmond late last month has died of his injuries, police said Monday.

Michael Henderson, 77, died Friday at St. Charles Bend, Lt. Curtis Chambers said.

Henderson’s eastbound Ford Fiesta crossed the highway’s center line and collided with the rear axle of a semi-truck’s trailer.

While the reason Henderson’s car crossed into the oncoming lane was not determined, Chambers said police don’t believe alcohol, drugs or distracted driving were factors, and termed in “a none criminal incident.” The Deschutes County Medical Examiner’s Office assisted in the investigation.

Henderson’s car hit the rear trailer of a semi heading west on the highway, also known as Highland Avenue, shortly before 2 p.m. Friday, April 27.

Police and Redmond Fire & Rescue crews responded to the crash on Highland near Southwest 31st Street, Chambers said. He added that Deschutes County 911 dispatchers passed along information from the scene that indicated one driver was not breathing and unconscious.

Police arrived to find Henderson still unconscious, “with ineffective breathing,” Chambers said. He was being tended to by several people who had stopped at the scene.

Officers quickly determined the man needed to be removed from the car’s wreckage for life-saving measures. Police and off-duty but medically trained people from out of the area rendered aid until fire medics arrived.

A Life Flight helicopter was called in and landed in a field by the highway, then flew Henderson to St. Charles Bend with critical injuries.

The driver of the semi, a 63-year-old California man, was not injured in the crash. Chambers said seat belt use information for the drivers was not available.

Oregon State Police and ODOT crews also assisted at the crash scene, while Redmond Public Works helped set up a detour onto nearby streets. The crash and investigation closed the highway in the area for about two hours.

Chambers said the crash site was not in the area associated with recent improvements to the intersection of Highland Avenue and Southwest 35th Street. He noted no crashes had been reported to Redmond police at that intersection this year since it was improved with left-turn lanes.

“The Redmond Police Department would like to remind all drivers to pay constant attention to their driving and what is occurring all around them,” Chambers said in the news release. “At any time, an unforeseen vehicle, pedestrian, or another hazard can appear in a vehicle’s path, and a fully attentive driver is better prepared to respond versus a distracted driver. Please slow down, buckle-up, and do not drive impaired or distracted.”

In May, he said, the Redmond Police Department will be participating in a nationwide safety belt enforcement campaign intended to remind drivers and passengers to wear their safety belt whenever they are in a vehicle.