Culver HS teen improving after Highway 97-Iris Lane crash
A Metolius 18-year-old improved to serious condition Wednesday, one day after he was critically injured and a 16-year-old girl from Culver was cited on DUII and other charges after Oregon State Police said she ran a stop sign and her car was struck by a semi-truck on Highway 97.
Troopers and other emergency personnel responded around 3:30 a.m. to the reported semi-vs.-car crash at Highway 97 and Iris Lane, said OSP Lt. Bill Fugate.
An initial OSP investigation found that the 16-year-old was driving a 2008 Toyota Prius heading east on Iris Lane when she failed to obey the stop sign at Highway 97. The car was struck by a northbound 2003 Peterbilt tractor pulling a trailer loaded with a shipping container, Fugate said.
The truck driver, Warren Ramey, 72, of Powell Butte, said the teen’s car was traveling at highway speeds when it ran the stop sign. Ramey, who was uninjured, said he was unable to avoid the collision.
After the impact, the car rolled several times and into a field, where first responders had to cut away the wreckage to reach both teens, Fugate said.
The 16-year-old girl, identified by friends as Nicole Bahr, was taken to St. Charles Redmond with non-life-threatening injuries.
Passenger Carson Foster, 18, of Metolius, was flown by air ambulance to St. Charles Bend, where officials said he was in critical condition Tuesday, but had improved to serious condition Wednesday morning.
“Alcohol is being considered as the primary contributing factor to the crash,” Fugate said in a news release.
Both Bahr and Foster attended Culver High, where friends said Tuesday they were in shock.
“We went to school for three or four years. He always seemed pretty cool,” student Joseph Montes said.
The 16-year-old was cited at the hospital for driving under the influence of intoxicants, reckless driving and second-degree assault.
OSP was assisted at the scene by Jefferson County sheriff’s deputies, Jefferson County Fire District No. 1 medics and ODOT.
Fugate said the investigation was ongoing and more information will be released as available.
