Two Springfield women injured in Hwy. 26 crash
Two Springfield women were treated at a Prineville hospital but escaped serious injury Sunday afternoon when their SUV struck a rock embankment and overturned on Highway 26 east of Prineville, Crook County sheriff’s deputies said.
Deputies responded around 3:45 p.m. to a report of a single-vehicle crash on the highway, about 20 miles east of Prineville, said Sgt. James Savage. Initial reports indicated two injured people were pinned in their vehicle, he said.
Arriving deputies found a red 1997 Isuzu Rodeo on its passenger side, blocking the westbound lane, Savage said. Witnesses on the scene freed the women from the car.
An investigation found that the driver, Kyrsten Brandson, 20, was heading west and negotiating a corner when she lost control of the SUV, which collided with a rock embankment and flipped onto its side, Savage said.
Brandson and passenger Anna Degallado were taken by Crook County Fire and Rescue ambulance to Pioneer Memorial Hospital for treatment. A nursing supervisor said later that both were in good condition and due for release from the hospital Sunday evening.
Speed is believed to be a factor in the crash, Savage said, but no citations had been issued as the investigation continues.
The crash, cleanup and investigation reduced Highway 26 to one lane for about an hour, Savage said. Deputies also were assisted by Oregon State Police, an off-duty OSP trooper, ODOT and National Recovery Towing.