Hwy. 97 reopens after injury crash south of Sunriver

(Update: Both lanes open again)

Several people were reported injured, one seriously, in a three-vehicle crash Friday afternoon that blocked U.S. Highway 97 south of Sunriver for over an hour and brought a helicopter and several ambulances to the scene, initial reports indicated.

The crash was reported shortly after 3 p.m. south of Vandevert Road near milepost 156, about 12 miles north of La Pine. ODOT spokesman Peter Murphy said an extensive highway closure was likely as a result of the crash, but one lane reopened with alternating traffic and flaggers by about 4:30 p.m. It was fully open less than a half-hour later.

Unconfirmed police scanner reports indicated one more seriously injured person would be flown by air ambulance to St. Charles Bend and four others would be taken there by ambulance.

We’ll be updating as we get more details. Track ODOT’s latest traffic conditions at our TripCheck page.