Redmond man arrested in road rage-related Hwy. 97 crash

Oregon State Police arrested a 20-year-old Redmond-area man who allegedly engaged in a road rage incident on Highway 97 north of Bend on Wednesday afternoon, causing a motorcycle crash that seriously injured the rider, troopers said.

Troopers from the Bend Area Command responded around 3:15 p.m. Wednesday to the reported crash on Highway 97 at milepost 128, near Southwest Young Avenue.

An initial investigation found that Justin Durr, driving a 2000 Ford Mustang, “became enraged when he was passed by another vehicle,” said OSP Sgt. Jeff Proulx.

“Durr attempted to catch up to the other vehicle,” Proulx said, and “drove in a reckless manner that forced the motorcyclist to crash.

Motorcyclist Jerome Worley, 40, whose hometown was unavailable was seriously injured and was flown by Life Flight helicopter to St. Charles Bend, where he was listed in fair condition Thursday, according to a hospital spokeswoman.

Durr was lodged Wednesday evening in the Deschutes County Jail on charges of reckless driving and third-degree assault. He was booked into the jail around 6:40 p.m. and released around 7:30 p.m. on his own recognizance, pending an Aug. 10 court appearance, a jail representative said.

OSP were assisted at the crash scene by Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies and ODOT. The highway was briefly closed so the air ambulance could land and pick up the patient.