Powell Butte man dies, 2 hurt in rollover crash east of Bend

(Update: DCSO identifies crash victims, gives details; driver in fair condition)

A 36-year-old Powell Butte man suffered fatal injuries and two other people were hurt when their SUV left Powell Butte Highway Monday night and flipped several times, authorities said Tuesday.

Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies were dispatched at 7:50 p.m. to the crash off Powell Butte Highway near the intersection with McGrath Road, Sgt. William Bailey said in a news release.

An investigation found that Samantha Toews, 25, of Powell Butte, was at the wheel of her 2006 Hyundai Tucson, heading west one Powell Butte Highway.

She failed to negotiate a right-hand curve before the intersection with McGrath Road and it crossed the oncoming lane, then left the road and rolled several times, Bailey said.

Toews, who was wearing a seat belt, suffered “significant injuries,” Bailey said. Her front-seat passenger, Jason House, 36, also of Powell Butte, was not wearing a seat belt and was thrown from the SUV, Bailey said.

A 9-year-old Powell Butte girl, who was riding in the back seat behind the driver and wearing her seat belt, sustained minor injuries, the sergeant said.

Bend Fire Department medics rushed all three people in the SUV to St. Charles Bend, where House was pronounced dead from his injuries. A house supervisor at the hospital said late Tuesday afternoon that Toews was in fair condition.

Speed and failing to negotiate the curve are believed to be the cause of this crash,” Bailey said in a news release. “Intoxicants also are being investigated as a contributing factor.” He said determining whether it was alcohol or drugs will await the results of blood tests and the continued investigation.

The county Road Department also assisted at the scene, as traffic in the area was affected for about three hours.