Several C. Oregon crashes on Thanksgiving Eve
One of the busiest travel periods of the year began in slick fashion Wednesday morning for much of Central Oregon, as black ice on major highways caused several slide-offs. Several other crashes blocked roads later in the day after temperatures warmed above freezing.
ODOT warned of the slick conditions on Highway 97 between Bend and Redmond, with at least three crashes or slide-offs reported during the morning commute.
A bit later, other first responders to a single-vehicle rollover on Highway 20 reported similar black-ice issues on Highway 20 between Bend and Sisters and called for ODOT sanding or de-icing crews.
There were no initial reports of any serious injuries or road closures.
Motorists were warned by ODOT of black ice on most area roads, and to drive with caution. Check traffic updates at our ODOT TripCheck page.
A string of other crashes were reported around the Bend area on Wednesday, one around 1:20 p.m. involving several vehicles on Highway 97 north of Empire Avenue, near the Hwy. 20 onramp “loop.” A woman was taken by ambulance to St. Charles Bend from that crash.
Around 3:30 p.m, a two-vehicle injury crash occurred on Highway 20 east of Bend at Gosney Road.
Initial Oregon State Police information was that two vehicles were eastbound and one was turning left onto Gosney Road when a second rear-ended it at highway speed, said OSP Captain Bill Fugate.
NewsChannel 21 Chief Meteorologist Bob Shaw warned Thanksgiving-weekend travelers to be prepared for winter driving conditions over the mountain passes.
