Prineville man injured as pickup flips into flowing canal

A Prineville man was taken to the hospital for treatment early Monday after his pickup truck left a driveway bridge near Northwest O’Neil Highway and flipped onto its top in a water-filled irrigation canal, Crook County sheriff’s deputies said.

Deputies were dispatched around 12:40 a.m. to a report of suspicious circumstances at a home on O’Neil Highway near milepost 7, said sheriff’s Sgt. Travis Jurgens.

A man reportedly was banging on the door of the home with blood on his hands, saying someone had stolen his vehicle, Jurgens said.

Arriving deputies and Oregon State Police contacted Vernon Dixon, 32, of Prineville and learned he’d been involved in the crash and his black 1995 Chevy pickup was in the canal.

A search of the area found the pickup about 150 yards down a private driveway and down a 10-foot embankment, on its top, with the cab totally submerged in water, Jurgens said.

An investigation determined Dixon was driving down the driveway toward the highway when he lost control on the bridge. It then left the driveway and rolled into the canal.

Deputies and troopers waited for the pickup to be removed from the canal by a tow truck to make sure there was no one else in or under it, Jurgens said in a news release. He added that there was no evidence found at the scene to support the initial report the vehicle had been stolen.

Dixon was taken by ambulance to St. Charles Prineville with non-life-threatening injuries; a hospital spokeswoman said he was treated and released.

SMAF Environmental was called to the scene to assess the potential of oil or other car fluids leaking into the waterway.

Jurgens said alcohol did not appear to be a factor in the crash. No citations have been issued and the investigation is continuing.

Crook County Fire and Rescue also assisted at the scene, the sergeant said.