Driver may have fled fatal Lake County crash

Oregon State Police troopers say one Gresham man died and another was injured in the crash of a pickup early Sunday on state Hwy. 31 south of Silver Lake in Lake County. They also are investigating unconfirmed reports a third person, possibly the driver, may have left the scene.

Alcohol is being investigated as a possible factor in the crash, which occurred around 12:50 a.m., troopers said.

A 1997 Ford F-150 pickup was headed north on Highway 31 near milepost 51 when it traveled off the roadway, into the ditch, and rolled onto its top, coming to rest partially on the highway, the OSP said.

Passenger Robert Edward Sanchez Busch, 22, of Gresham, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to OSP.

A second male occupant, Sean Taylor Berglund, also 22 and from Gresham, was taken by Silver Lake EMS ambulance to St. Charles Medical Center in Bend with what troopers called non-life threatening injuries. A nursing supervisor said Berglund was treated and released from the hospital.

“Information from the surviving occupant indicates a third person was in the vehicle,” troopers said, “but that has not been confirmed.”

OSP troopers were assisted at the scene by Lake County Sheriff’s Office and ODOT.

Any witnesses to the crash, or who may have arrived on scene before emergency responders, is asked to contact Oregon State Police Northern Command Center dispatch at 800-452-7888. Senior Trooper Nick Hagedorn is the lead investigator.

At least one other person has died in Oregon traffic crashes this holiday weekend.

A 74-year-old man from Mexico was killed and two others seriously hurt in an SUV rollover crash Saturday afternoon on Interstate 205 near West Linn.

Witnesses said the Nissan Pathfinder’s right rear tire blew out, causing the driver, a Salem woman, to lose control of the SUV, which crossed two southbound lanes and rolled several times onto the center median north of Stafford Road.

The nationwide impaired driving campaign involving high-visibility enforcement backed by increased awareness efforts to curb impaired driving in August and through the Labor Day holiday weekend is continuing through 11:59 p.m., September 3.

Oregon troopers, deputies and city police officers will continue to aggressively look for impaired drivers during the crackdown and arrest anyone caught driving impaired.

Drivers will also have reminders around the state during the holiday weekend with the Oregon Department of Transportation’s variable message signs reading, “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.”

Young adults are often those most at risk. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), fifty-four percent of young (18 to 34 years old) drivers killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2010 in the U.S. were alcohol-impaired.

According to ODOT’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), a brief look at Labor Day holiday traffic crash statistics in Oregon since 1970 indicates:

* Fatalities average seven each year in Oregon over this holiday weekend.
* Since record-keeping began, more than 280 people have died during this holiday period, making it the second deadliest major holiday of the year.
* Alcohol is a contributing factor in over half of the traffic fatal crashes.
* The highest number of traffic fatalities occurred in 1978 when 17 people died.
* Oregon has never experienced a fatal-free Labor Day holiday weekend. Single fatality reporting periods occurred in 1999, 2001, 2002, and 2010.

Everyone is urged to play an important part in keeping our highways and city streets safe by immediately reporting aggressive, dangerous, and intoxicated drivers to the Oregon State Police at 1-800-24DRUNK (1-800-243-7865) or call 9-1-1.