OSP: Road rage may have sparked Highway 97 crash
Three days after a horrific three-car crash on Highway 97 south of Redmond, Oregon State Police said Friday they believe road rage might have been a factor in the head-on collision.
OSP Lt. Bill Fugate told NewsChannel 21 a fourth car was involved in the incident. The driver of that car and the driver of the Ford Explorer were driving aggressively when the Ford Explorer’s driver lost control and steered into oncoming traffic.
“This is an ongoing investigation,” Fugate said. “There is potential for charges being sent to the district attorney’s office on one of the drivers. Since this is an ongoing investigation, I can’t disclose any more at this time.”
Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel said he has not made a decision whether or not to bring charges in the crash.
Eight people were injured, four of them minors. Two Redmond girls, ages 6 and 15, remained in serious condition Friday evening at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center in Portland. Both of them are expected to survive, officials said.
The driver of the Explorer, Bobby Howie, 38, and the driver of the Honda, 45-year-old Patricia Beamer of Redmond. was treated at St. Charles Redmond for non-life threatening injuries.
A 10-year old girl and 32-year-old Tiffany Teel, both passengers in the Ford Explorer, were cut out of the wreckage and taken to St. Charles Bend, also with non-life threatening injuries.
The driver of the GMC, 66-year-old Virgil Wynia of Redmond, was treated for non-life threatening injuries at St. Charles Redmond.
Two minors in the Ford Explorer, including a 16-year-old boy, were not wearing seat belts because all of the seat belts were taken by passengers. The boy was ejected from the back of the Explorer — and miraculously suffered only minor injuries.
