Four La Pine teens injured in rollover crash SE of Bend

Four La Pine teens were injured, one seriously, in a rollover crash Sunday evening on a Forest Service road southeast of Bend, Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies.

Fortunately, although none of the teens were wearing seat belts – and all were thrown from the 1995 Geo Tracker — the injuries were not life-threatening, according to sheriff’s Sgt. William Bailey.

The names of the four were not released, but the driver, a 16-year-old male, was cited for reckless driving. He was accompanied by three passengers, a 15-year-old male and female and a 16-year-old female, Bailey said.

Deputies were dispatched around 5 p.m. to the reported single-vehicle crash on U.S. Forest Service Road 1815, about 1 ½ miles north of China Hat Road.

An on-scene investigation determined the driver was heading north when he failed to negotiate the curve and the compact SUV left the road, rolling over at least once, Bailey said.

The 15-year-old male passenger was flown by AirLink helicopter to St. Charles Bend with serious but non-life-threatening injuries, he said.

“Speed was determined to be a significant factor in the crash,” Bailey said in a news release. However, “Alcohol was determined to not be a factor in the crash,” he added, adding that the investigation was ongoing.

The sheriff’s office was assisted at the scene by the Bend Fire Department and Forest Service Law Enforcement units, Bailey said.