Slick roads trigger 2 pickup rollovers north of La Pine

The return of winter driving conditions led to a pair of pickup truck rollover crashes and at least one other slide-off on a slick stretch of Highway 97 north of La Pine Monday morning, fire officials said.

The first call came around 7:25 a.m. when the driver of a Dodge Ram pickup lost control and it rolled near milepost 157, La Pine Rural Fire District Chief Mike Supkis said in a news release.

The single occupant was able to get out on his own but was taken to St. Charles Bend by La Pine Fire paramedics due to back and neck pain, Supkis said.

A second crash occurred near the same location shortly after 9:30 a.m. This time, the driver of a Ford pickup lost control and it overturned, trapping two people inside. Supkis said neither were seriously hurt, but crews had to cut away the wreckage to free them. They declined medical care at the scene.

Sunriver Fire crews assisted on both calls, as did Crescent Fire medics who stopped on the way back from the hospital on an earlier call in their district, Supkis said.

ODOT had sanders on the road, the fire chief said, and was doing traffic control, as both crashes caused delays in morning travel. La Pine crews observed a non-injury slide-off incident in the area during one of the crash responses.

“The La Pine Fire District would like to remind drivers winter road conditions do take a few adjustments in driving,” Supkis said. “Leave earlier, so you can slow down a bit, keep windows fully clear, headlights on, and balance weight on all four wheels — especially in pickup trucks.”