Bend Parkway crash victim still in critical condition

A Bend woman was thrown from her motorcycle and critically injured Friday afternoon on the northern end of the Bend Parkway, a crash and investigation that tied up the busy stretch of road for hours, authorities said.

Police responded around 1:30 p.m. Friday to the reported single-vehicle crash on the northbound parkway near the Empire Avenue on-ramp, said Lt. Brian Kindel.

Nellie Conte, 56, was taken by Bend fire medics to St. Charles Medical Center-Bend, where she was in the critical care unit and listed in critical condition Friday evening, a nursing supervisor said. She remained in critical condition 24 hours later, officials said.

Conte, who was wearing a helmet, apparently lost control of her motorcycle as she tried to adjust to slowing traffic in the area, which was congested due to another crash farther north on Highway 97, Kindel said.

The parkway was shut down for a time, prompting a long backup and ODOT detours onto Third Street (Business Hwy. 97), then to a single lane for about two hours, Kindel said..