La Pine man dies after Paulina Lake Road crash

A driver on Paulina Lake Road Tuesday morning found a 29-year-old La Pine man who apparently walked of a mile after his car left the road on a curve and crashed upside-down. He later died of his injuries Tuesday at a Bend hospital, Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies said.

Around 7:22 a.m., a Hoodoo campgrounds worker called 911 to report that he found Nickolas Hurlbut lying along the road near milepost 10 east of La Pine with serious injuries, said sheriff’s Sgt. Nick Eggert.

Deputies and paramedics rushed to the scene and provided medical treatment, who was flown by AirLink helicopter to St. Charles Bend, where he died of his injuries, Eggert said.

Hurlbut’s car, a 2008 Hyundai Tiburon, was found a short distance away. Eggert said he was alone in the car.

An investigation determined Hurlbut was driving the winding, twisting road heading west when he failed to make a left turn and left the road. His car went airborne for a short distance and came to rest upside-down in the embankment beside the road, Eggert said.

The victim apparently was able to walk about of a mile from the crash scene, toward La Pine, when he was found by the passing motorist, the sergeant said.

The crash investigation closed Paulina Lake Road for about three hours.

Speed appears to be a factor in the crash, Eggert said, adding that the driver was not wearing a seatbelt. The crash investigation is pending toxicology results.