Two Crook County crashes send 3 to hospitals

Crook County sheriff’s deputies said they responded to two crashes within a half-hour Saturday evening that sent three people to area hospitals with non-life threatening injuries.

Shortly after 6 p.m., deputies and Crook County Fire and Rescue personnel responded to a reported motorcycle crash on Remington Road, about 11 miles southeast of Prineville, said sheriff’s Sgt. Travis Jurgens.

An investigation found that Dale Bittick, 63, of Nampa, Idaho, had been heading north on Remington Road aboard a red and black three-wheeled 2000 Harley-Davidson motorcycle when he hit a pothole and lost control of the bike, Jurgens said.

The bike left the road and went through a barbed-wire fence on the east side of the road, coming to rest about 20 feet away from the road.

Bittick was flown by Life Flight helicopter to St. Charles Medical Center-Bend with non-life-threatening injuries, Jurgens said. Bittick was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash, Jurgens said, adding that no citations were issued.

Around 6:34 p.m., deputies, medics and BLM law enforcement responded to a two-vehicle crash on Powell Butte Highway at milepost 2, Jurgens said.

An investigation determined that Kristi Cross, 23, of Prineville, was heading north on the highway, driving a white 2005 Ford Focus, when she lost control of the car, which left the east side of the highway, onto the gravel shoulder, Jurgens said.

Cross then over-corrected, returned to the road and crossed the center line, hitting an oncoming 2008 Chevy Tahoe being driven by Jodi Clark, 44, of Powell Butte, Jurgens said.

Both drivers had to be cut out of the wreckage of their vehicles. Cross was flown by AirLink helicopter to the Bend hospital while Clark was taken by Redmond ambulance to St. Charles-Redmond, both with non-life-threatening injuries, Jurgens said.

The investigation of that crash is continuing, but Jurgens said “there are indications that speed and alcohol are both contributing factors in the crash on the part of Cross.” She was in fair condition Sunday morning at the Bend hospital, a nursing supervisor said.

The sheriff’s office also responded to a Powell Butte Highway crash in the same area shortly before 11 a.m. Thursday.

In that case, deputies found a maroon 2001 Mercury on its top on the east side of the road. The driver, Wallace Gilchrist, 68, of Bend, was still inside, lying on the roof, Jurgens said,

Medics got Gilchrist out of the car and he was taken to the Redmond hospital with non-life threatening injuries, Jurgens said.

An investigation found that Gilchrist was heading north when his car went off the east side of the road and onto the gravel shoulder.

At that point, Jurgens said, it appears Gilchrist over-corrected, returning to the road – then over-corrected again. The car again left the east side of the road, crashed through a fence and rolled, coming to a rest on its top. The crash damaged about 35 feet of fence.

Gilchrist was wearing his seat belt at the time, Jurgens said, adding that no citations were issued.