3 seriously injured in Hwy. 97 head-on crash S. of Bend

Three people were seriously injured, at least two critically, Tuesday morning when a Bend man’s SUV crossed the center line of Highway 97 south of Bend and crashed head-on into a Sunriver man’s pickup truck, Oregon State Police reported.

The crash occurred around 8 a.m. near milepost 147, about six miles south of Bend, just north of where a median barrier was installed in recent years over Lava Butte — though an ODOT official said a northern extension of that barrier is planned to Deschutes River Woods next year.

According to Trooper Rich Brannin, a Ford Explorer driven by Richard Rose, 19, of Bend, was heading south when it crossed the center line and struck a Dodge pickup driven by Terry Neil, 60, of Sunriver.

The three occupants — including Rose’s passenger, whose name was not released — were taken to St. Charles Bend. Rose and his passenger were flown to the hospital by AirLink and Life Flight helicopters, while Neil was taken by ground ambulance.

A house supervisor said both Rose and Neil were in critical condition at the hospital Tuesday evening.

Air bags deployed in both vehicles, Brannin said, but seat belt usage was unknown, and the cause of the crash was under investigation.

The Explorer’s two occupants reportedly had to be cut out of the wreckage by Sunriver Fire medics. Fire crews and Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies called in a third medic unit from Bend, as well as both the AirLink and Life Flight air ambulances.

Drivers were urged to avoid the area, as no detours were available, and traffic quickly backed up during the morning commute period. The southbound “slow lane” reopened around 9:30 a.m. The road fully reopened about a half-hour later.

Oregon Department of Transportation spokesman Peter Murphy said a project is “set for next year to put a concrete median barrier in place” south of Bend, from the Baker Road exit at Deschutes River Woods south to Lava Butte.