Madras man seriously injured in Hwy. 97 rollover crash north of Terrebonne

OSP says he tried to pass other car in no-passing zone, sideswiped it

(Update: New photos, details of crash)

TERREBONNE, Ore. (KTVZ) --Oregon State Police said a 76-year-old Madras man was seriously injured on Highway 97 north of Terrebonne Monday afternoon when he tried to pass another car in a no-passing zone, side-swiped it and rolled his pickup truck several times.

The driver of the Nissan Titan, identified as Larry Eugene Peters, 76, was flown by Life Flight helicopter to St. Charles Bend with serious injuries, troopers said.

Troopers said an initial investigation found that Peters and a Culver man driving a Honda Accord were heading north near milepost 112, north of the Rex T. Barber Bridge, shortly before 3 p.m. when Peters tried to pass the Honda in a no-passing zone.

OSP said Peters cut back into the lane of travel, side-swiping the Honda's front-left corner. Troopers said the pickup then went into a clockwise spin, left the road and hit the soft dirt and gravel ditch, rolling several times before coming to rest on its passenger side off the east (northbound) shoulder.

Redmond Fire Battalion Chief Garrick Terry said the crash left the pickup's driver trapped inside.

Once the pickup was stabilized, extrication tools were used to cut away the truck's top and remove Peters, who was treated by Redmond Fire medics and the air ambulance crew before the flight to Bend.

The highway was closed in both directions for about a half-hour for the air ambulance to land on it, backing up traffic. It was fully reopened about an hour later.