Idaho man dies, 2 seriously hurt in Hwy. 230 crash

(Update with details of crash, names of victims)

An Idaho man was killed and two other people were seriously injured Friday morning in a head-on crash on state Highway 230 near Diamond Lake that shut the road for much of the day, Oregon State Police reported.

An initial investigation found a white 2007 Chevy Silverado pulling a utility trailer, driven by Mark Andrew Root, 49, of Eagle point, was heading east on the West Diamond Lake Highway near milepost 22 around 8 a.m. when, for an unknown reason, it drifted into the westbound travel lanes, said OSP Sgt. Yvette Shephard

The Chevy pickup collided head-on with a white 2006 Kia Kia Amanti driven by William Hunter Houff, 56, and passenger Lisa Barnett Carr, 54, both of Idaho Falls.

Houff suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the crash scene, despite life-saving measures performed by medics, Shephard said.

Root was flown by air ambulance to St. Charles Bend and Carr was flown to Sacred Heart Medical Center at Riverbend in Springfield, both with serious injuries, the sergeant said.

Seat belts were not being used, according to Shephard, who added that intoxicants were not a contributing factor in the crash.

The crash and investigation closed the highway for several hours, and drivers were urged to use other routes. One lane reopened at mid-afternoon with alternating traffic, and the highway fully reopened in the late afternoon.

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