Two injury crashes tie up Bend-area traffic
Two possibly serious-injury crashes occurred about a half-hour apart in the Bend area Friday evening, bringing medics and police to both scenes and tying up commuter traffic.
The first crash occurred just before 6 p.m. in the southbound lanes of Highway 97 near Ponderosa Street south of Bend and apparently involved three vehicles. Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies urged motorists to avoid the area, but those already headed home or elsewhere encountered major backups.
About a half-hour later, a rollover crash occurred on Bend’s Eastside, at the intersection of Bear Creek and Pettigrew roads.
In both crashes, firefighters used extrication tools to remove injured occupants.
Deschutes County dispatchers said Bear Creek and Pettigrew were still closed at 7:30 p.m. but the southbound lanes of Highway 97 were being reopened.
