Deadly crash near Mill City tears car in two

Speed is believed to be a contributing factor in a fatal crash near Mill City Saturday night that was so violent, it caused the car to break into two pieces, Linn County Sheriff Jim Yon said.

The crash was reported shortly before 8 p.m. on Kingwood Avenue near Dogwood Road, just east of Mill City, Yon reported in a news release Sunday.

The driver, Wesley Wilson, 28, of Gates, was driving a black 1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse that was heading east on Kingwood Avenue when he failed to negotiate a corner and the car struck a bridge abutment crossing Rock Creek, Yon said.

The force of the impact caused the car to break into two, with the front passenger compartment coming to rest on the creek bed below the bridge and the rear portion next to the bridge, the sheriff said.

Wilson was thrown from the car and died at the scene of the crash, which closed the road for about four hours.

Wilson was not wearing his seat belt, Yon said, adding that it’s not known at this time if alcohol was a contributing factor.