Three injured in Old Bend-Redmond Hwy. rollover crash

Three people were injured Monday night when their Jeep hit the rear tire on a tractor and overturned on the Old Bend-Redmond Highway, Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies said.

The rollover crash was reported around 9:25 p.m. north of Tumalo Road, with initial reports that the driver was pinned under the vehicle, said sheriff’s Sgt. Jayson Janes. The two others in the Jeep CJ5 had lifted it off the driver before deputies and Bend Fire Department medics arrived, he said.

An investigation determined the Jeep driven by Daniel Maegli, 30, of Watertown, Wisconsin, was heading south on the Old Bend-Redmond Highway and struck the rear tire of a New Holland 7740 tractor being driven by Brian Lepore, 46, of Bend, which also was traveling south, Janes said. That caused the Jeep to turn sideways and roll onto its top.

Maegli and passengers Mackenzie Kershaw, 40, and Casey Tracht, both of Bend, were taken by ambulance to St. Charles Bend. Janes said the injuries initially appeared to be serious, but a house supervisor said all three had been treated and released overnight.

Alcohol is a possible factor in the crash, the sergeant said, and it did not appear any of the Jeep’s three occupants were wearing seat belts at the time of the crash.

“This crash is still under investigation,” Janes said in a news release, “and criminal charges are possible in the future.”

Oregon State Police also assisted at the crash scene, he said.