Madras man and boy, 10, killed in Hwy. 97 head-on crash

A 34-year-old Madras man and a 10-year-old boy were killed and four other people were injured, two seriously, in a three-vehicle crash Monday evening on Highway 97 south of Madras, Oregon State Police said Tuesday.

OSP troopers and medics responded around 6:30 p.m. to the reported crash near milepost 102, about seven miles south of Madras, said OSP Captain Bill Fugate.

A preliminary investigation found that a 2007 Honda Ridgeline driven by Mateo J. Smith, 19, of Warm Springs, was heading north when he drifted over the center line and his pickup clipped an oncoming 2012 Toyota Corolla, Fugate said.

The Honda then struck another southbound car, a 2003 Toyota Corolla, head-on, Fugate said. A front-seat passenger in that car, Richard R. Mullins, 34, was pronounced dead at the scene, as was a 10-year-old boy seated in an unknown location in the car, Fugate said.

The driver, Nicole Sly, 36, of Crooked River Ranch, and an 8-year-old girl were flown by air ambulance to St. Charles Bend for treatment of serious injuries, Fugate said. Sly was in serious condition at the hospital late Tuesday afternoon, a spokeswoman confirmed.

Smith and his 17-year-old male passenger received non-life-threatening injuries and were taken to St. Charles Redmond. Fugate said information on the occupants of the 2012 Toyota was not available.

“Fatigue is being investigated as a contributing factor in the crash,” Fugate said in a news release, adding that more information will be released in the ongoing investigation when available.

The crash and investigation closed the highway for three hours, with motorists detoured onto nearby roads.

OSP was assisted at the scene by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, ODOT, Redmond Police and the Jefferson County Fire District.