Four-vehicle Hwy. 126 crash sends driver to hospital

A Prineville man was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after a four-vehicle crash west of Redmond Monday afternoon, Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies said.

Deputies responded around 3:30 p.m. to the reported crash at the intersection of Highway 126 and Southwest Helmholtz Way, sheriff’s Sgt. Kevin Dizney said.

The one-scene investigation found that Gertraud Morrison, 68, of Terrebonne, was at the wheel of a gray 2013 Dodge Ram pickup trying to cross Highway 126 on Helmholtz from south to north, Dizney said.

As she tried to cross, Morrison pulled into the path of a westbound, white 2001 Dodge Ram pickup driven by Jeffrey Hewitt, 52, of Prineville, the sergeant said.

The two pickups collided in the westbound lane of the highway, sending both into the southbound lane of Helmholtz Way.

Dizney said Morrison’s pickup hit a gray 2000 Plymouth Breeze driven by a 17-year-old Redmond girl who was stopped at the stop sign, waiting to cross the highway 127 southbound. The Breeze was pushed backwards into the car stopped behind it, a blue 2017 Audi Q5 driven by Roland White, 65, of Redmond, who also was waiting to cross the highway.

Hewitt was taken by Redmond Fire Department ambulance to St. Charles Redmond with non-life-threatening injuries, Dizney said. He added that neither speed, distracted driving nor alcohol and/or drugs were believed to be related to the crash.

Traffic was diverted onto West Antler Avenue from southbound Helmholtz Way as a detour around the crash, as Helmholtz was closed between Antler and Highway 126 for about 1 1/2 hours during the investigation.

Highway 126 remained open, with the assistance of ODOT. Oregon State Police also assisted at the scene, Dizney said.