Two seriously hurt in crash northwest of Redmond

A Madras woman was in serious condition and a Bend man in fair condition late Sunday at a Bend hospital, one day after their car left a road northwest of Redmond at high speed on a curve, went down an embankment and overturned, Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies said.

Deputies were dispatched shortly after 5 a.m. Saturday to the area of 5801 Northwest Way on a report of a rollover crash of a car with two injured occupants, said sheriff’s Lt. Bryan Husband.

The passenger of the red 2005 Dodge Neon, later identified as Breanne Ward, 24, of Madras, called in the crash and told dispatchers she was trapped in the overturned car, Husband said. Redmond fire crews also responded and a Life Flight helicopter was put on standby.

Deputies arrived at the crash scene, the entrance to Redmond’s wastewater irrigation site, and found the driver, Earnest Hackett, 25, of Bend, had been able to pull himself from the wreckage but Ward was still trapped inside.

Redmond fire crews were able to cut Ward out of the wreckage and she was flown to St. Charles-Bend. Hackett was taken by Redmond fire ambulance to St. Charles-Redmond, then transferred to the Bend hospital, where a nursing supervisor said Ward remained in serious condition and Hackett had improved to fair condition by Sunday evening.

Deputies who investigated the crash said Hackett was driving north on Northwest Way at a high rate of speed when he failed to negotiate a curve to the northwest and the Neon left the road, rolling down a 10- to 20-foot embankment, coming to rest on its top.

Abbas Towing later removed the car, which was totaled, from the scene.

Husband said Sunday the crash remained under investigation, with no arrests or charges at this time.