Two Redmond residents seriously hurt in Hwy. 97 crash

Two Redmond residents were seriously injured Tuesday morning when one lost control of their car on icy Highway 97 north of Bend and it collided with an oncoming pickup, Oregon State Police reported.

OSP troopers and emergency personnel responded around 6:20 a.m. to the reported two-vehicle crash on Highway 97 near milepost 129, about six miles north of Bend near Deschutes Junction, said OSP Capt. Bill Fugate.

Emergency personnel arrived on scene to find one person trapped in a car and two with serious injuries, Fugate said.

An initial investigation found that a white 1990 Toyota Corolla driven by Kimberly Baker, 46, of Redmond, had been heading north on the highway when she lost control on the icy roadway and collided with a southbound 2000 Dodge pickup.

Baker and passenger Kelly Shehan, 34, were taken by ambulance to St. Charles Bend with serious injuries, Fugate said. Shehan was trapped and crews had to cut away the wreckage to free him, he added.

The pickup driver, Wayde Pratt, 20, of Sisters, and his passengers, Joel Pratt, 25, of Philomath, and Martin Langager, 25, of Lebanon, were not injured in the crash.

The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, Bend Fire and Rescue and Oregon Department of Transportation helped OSP at the scene.

Highway 97 was closed for just over an hour while the crash investigation was conducted and the road was being cleared.