Driver killed in Hwy. 26 rollover crash near Mitchell

A Mt. Vernon man was killed Saturday afternoon when his pickup left U.S. Highway 26 east of Mitchell, went off a steep embankment and overturned, Oregon State Police reported.

OSP troopers and emergency medics responded around 1:50 p.m. to the single-vehicle crash near milepost 72.5 in Wheeler County.

Troopers said a preliminary investigation found that Drew Knowles, 36, of Mt. Vernon, was heading east in a tan Toyota Tacoma when it left the road for unknown reasons and traveled off a steep embankment.

Knowles sustained fatal injuries and died at the scene, troopers said.

One lane of Highway 126 was closed for several hours after the crash. OSP was assisted at the scene by the Wheeler County Sheriff’s Office and ODOT.