Bend man killed, another seriously injured in six-vehicle Bend Parkway crash
(Update: Oregon State Police release details; parkway reopens)
Closure lasted several hours during crash investigation
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – One Bend man was killed and another was seriously injured in a six-vehicle crash on the Bend Parkway Thursday evening that closed the highway for eight hours, Oregon State Police reported Friday. Troopers investigating the crash also asked to hear from any witnesses.
OSP, Bend police and other emergency personnel responded around 5:15 p.m. to the crash on Highway 97 near milepost 137, OSP Captain Tim Fox said.
The preliminary investigation found that a 39-year-old Bend man driving a BMW was northbound, merging onto the highway from the Colorado Avenue onramp, Fox said.
The BMW merged through the right (slow) lane and into the left lane, striking a Chevy pickup driven by Kevin Schultz, 47, of Bend, he said.
The pickup then crossed the center median, into the southbound lane, and collided with a Ford Transit van driven by Christopher Rodea, 37, also of Bend.
Rodea died at the crash scene, while Schultz was taken to St. Charles Bend with serious injuries, Fox said. The BMW driver was not transported for injuries.
Two other southbound vehicles and another northbound vehicle also were involved in the crash, but no one in them was seriously injured, the trooper said.
OSP asked that any other witnesses to the crash contact the OSP Northern Command Center at 1-800-442-0776 or text *OSP and leave contact information for Trooper Sean Malloy.
OSP was assisted at the crash scene by Bend Police, Bend Fire & Rescue, the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office and ODOT.
ODOT advised the parkway was closed north of the Colorado Avenue interchange shortly after the crash, reported in the area of milepost 137.
"Motorists should find alternative route while extended investigation is underway," ODOT advised around 6:10 p.m. A detour was in place for a four-mile stretch of the parkway until it reopened overnight.
