Officers revive Bend driver who crashed into house
A Bend man was hospitalized in critical condition Monday after crashing his van into a home off Mount Washington Drive, police said. A Bend police officer and COCC campus safety officer were credited for their life-saving efforts that revived the unconscious man.
A motorist notified police Corporal Troy Wiles, who was conducting traffic enforcement in the area, around 11:30 a.m. of the crash at 2519 NW Locke Court, said Lt. Nick Parker.
In fact, Parker thanked the woman, Terrie Riboli – who Wiles had stopped minutes earlier and given a verbal warning for a “minor issue” – for returning and letting Wiles know what had happened nearby.
Wiles arrived and saw a 2003 Ford Windstar van had crashed into the home, Parker said, adding that two people inside the home at the time were unhurt.
Wiles found the driver, Terry Andrew Howard, 63, was unconscious and not breathing, alone in the van, Parker said. He pulled Howard from the vehicle and began CPR.
COCC Campus Public Safety Officer Kevin Lanier soon arrived to help Wiles, as both men continued life-saving efforts until Bend Fire medics arrived, Parker said.
Howard was breathing on his own before an ambulance rushed him to St. Charles Bend, where he was in critical condition, according to a spokeswoman.
The cause of the crash was being investigated, but Parker said it most likely was due to an emergency medical condition.
An initial report indicates Howard was heading west on NW Regency Street when he failed to stop at a stop sign at Mt. Washington Drive. The van struck a stop sign pole before continuing across Mt. Washington Drive and into the home on Locke Court.
Anyone who witnessed the crash was asked to contact Bend police at (541) 693-6911.