Albany woman dies in Hwy. 20 pickup-semi crash SE of Bend

(Update: Names, other details released; update on truck driver condition)

An Albany, Oregon woman was killed and two other people were injured, one seriously, Wednesday morning in the head-on collision of a pickup and semi-truck on U.S. Highway 20 about 35 miles southeast of Bend, Oregon State Police reported.

OSP troopers and other emergency personnel responded around 6:45 a.m. to the two-vehicle crash near milepost 35 and the intersection with state Highway 27, the Crooked River Highway.

Troopers said an investigation found that Esmeralda Martinez, 35, of Albany, was heading east, driving a gray 2016 Toyota Tundra, and lost control for unknown reasons, colliding with an oncoming commercial motor vehicle.

Martinez was pronounced dead at the scene, troopers said. Her passenger, Carlos Callejas-Martinez , 34, also of Albany, was treated for non-life-threatening injuries and was not transported to the hospital, troopers said.

The westbound 2019 International Knight Transportation semi was driven by Jay Azzano , 29, of Las Vegas. He was flown by air ambulance to St. Charles Bend with serious injuries, OSP reported. He was listed in fair condition at the hospital Wednesday evening, a house supervisor said.

The crash and investigation closed the highway for more than two hours. One lane reopened to alternating traffic with flaggers shortly before 9 a.m., but the road didn’t fully reopen until mid-afternoon.

KTVZ 2019