Bend family mourns loss of Third Street crash victim

(Update: Police say driver stopped, cooperated with investigation; comments from sister-in-law)

A 39-year-old Bend woman was struck and fatally injured by an SUV on Northeast Third Street Tuesday night, police said Wednesday.

Officers responded to the crash at Third Street and Burnside Avenue, reported at 9:47 p.m., said Lt. Clint Burleigh.

The woman, identified to NewsChannel 21 by her sister-in-law as Cristalle Hagen, was rushed to St. Charles Bend, where Burleigh said she died of her injuries.

“She will be missed,” said her sister in law, Sarah Hagen.

Hagen. who is married to Cristalle’s brother, got a fateful knock on the door early Wednesday morning from a police officer, delivering the heartbreaking news.

Sarah Hagen said she spoke to Cristalle three days ago, and never imagined it would be their last talk.

“The conversation was good,” she recalled. “We always talked about my kids, and just, you know, daily life.”

She said Cristalle grew up in Bend, loved her family and had a positive outlook on life.

“She had so much potential,” Sarah Hagen said. “And she could have done anything. She was a very positive person. She was a very good person.”

The woman was struck by a 2010 Ford Explorer in the southbound lanes of Third Street, Burleigh said. The driver of the SUV was a 60-year-old Bend woman whose name was withheld by police pending further investigation.

Burleigh said the driver stopped at the scene and was cooperating in the investigation, which lasted well into the night and and closed Third Street for several hours, Burleigh said.

“She had a smile that could light up a room,” Sarah Hagen wrote of her sister-in-law on her Facebook page. “Free spirited. Always said what was on her mind. She had the Hagen stubbornness. She was a good person, always trying to do what was right for her family. She was outgoing, and so very kind. And she is gone. She will be missed. We love you Cristalle R Hagen. I hope you continue to smile always.”

Other details have not yet been released, but Burleigh wrote, “The Bend Police Department wants to remind drivers of vehicles, bicyclists and pedestrians to use caution in and around the roadways in Central Oregon.”

The family is planning funeral arrangements for Cristalle, if anyone would like to donate towards her cremation they can call Baird Funeral Home (541) 382-0903