Truck driver cited in Hwy. 97 crash S. of Madras
A 43-year-old walnut truck driver from Washington state was cited after running into the back of an SUV on Highway 97 south of Madras Friday evening, a crash that sent both drivers to area hospitals, Oregon State Police reported.
Around 6:10 p.m. Friday, a Chevy Tahoe driven by Kelly Gross, 46, of Culver, was southbound on Highway 97 and began stopping to turn left onto SW Jericho Lane, said Lt. Gregg Hastings.
A commercial truck pulling a semi-trailer loaded with walnuts and driven by Dharam Vir, 43, of Woodland, Wash was approaching the Tahoe from behind and rear-ended it, causing significant rear-end damage to the Tahoe, Hastings said. The SUV was pushed off the northbound lane before coming to rest.
Vir was taken by ambulance to St. Charles Redmond and Gross to St. Charles Madras, both reportedly with minor injuries.
A Life Flight helicopter was auto-launched at the time of the 911 call, but were told to stand down shortly after medics arrived on scene, said Jefferson County Sheriff Jim Adkins.
An OSP investigation led to Vir being cited for careless driving, Hastings said. OSP was assisted at the scene by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, area fire agencies and ODOT.
