OSP IDs Bend man killed in Redmond Hwy. 97 crash

(Update: OSP names crash victim, lists possible factors)

Oregon State Police on Saturday identified a 58-year-old Bend man killed when his pickup truck left Highway 97 in Redmond, struck a guardrail and overturned Friday evening.

Kim Douglas Houston died at the scene of the crash, as did a dog who had been with him, said OSP Captain Bill Fugate.

“Impaired driving and failure to use safety belts are being investigated as contributing factors” to the crash, Fugate added.

Around 5:20 p.m. Friday, troopers and emergency personnel responded to the reported single-vehicle crash on Highway 97 near milepost 119, at the Canal Boulevard overpass, Fugate said.

Emergency crews arrived to find a 1997 Dodge pickup crashed by the highway, but nobody in or around it, Fugate said.

They soon found the critically injured driver on the overpass, and despite revival efforts, he was pronounced dead at the scene by first responders, Fugate said.

Preliminary information revealed Houston was driving south on the highway when he drifted out of the lane of travel, struck the guardrail and the pickup rolled. He was thrown from the pickup and landed on the overpass.

OSP was assisted at the crash scene by the Redmond Police Department, Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, Redmond Fire and Rescue and the Oregon Department of Transportation.

The crash and investigation closed the southbound lanes of Highway 97 for a time, with a detour established.