Driver jailed in fatal Hwy. 26 DUII van-motorcycle crash
(Update: OSP releases victims’ names)
A Gresham man was arrested on manslaughter, drunk-driving and assault charges after a crash on Highway 26 near Mount Hood Saturday evening that claimed the life of a 71-year-old motorcyclist and seriously injured his passenger, Oregon State Police said.
OSP troopers and Clackamas County sheriff’s deputies responded around 6:15 p.m. to the reported two-vehicle crash near milepost 47, just east of Rhododendron, OSP Lt. Cari Boyd said.
A preliminary investigation found that Robert E. Walsh, 54, of Gresham, was driving a 2003 Chrysler Town and Country minivan heading west on the highway, Boyd said.
The van crossed into the oncoming lane and collided with a 2003 Harley-Davidson motorcycle whose operator, Davis S. Weiss, 71, of Forest Grove, sustained fatal injuries and died at the scene.
His passenger, Nancy Jo Ludwig, 70, of Hillsboro, was seriously injured and was flown by air ambulance to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center in Portland, the trooper said.
The two motorcycle riders’ names have not been released. Boyd said both were wearing helmets.
Walsh was taken into custody and booked into the Clackamas County Jail on charges of second-degree manslaughter, DUII-alcohol and second-degree assault, Boyd said. Jail records Sunday showed he also was charged with reckless driving and recklessly endangering, and was being held on $507,500 bail.
OSP was assisted at the crash scene by the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office, multi-agency CRAFT Team, Hoodland Fire Department and Oregon Department of Transportation.
