Redmond man survives wild Hwy. 20 airborne crash

A Redmond man was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries Wednesday evening after his pickup truck left U.S. Highway 20 east of Bend, struck a guardrail, went airborne over a driveway and once again over an irrigation canal, nearly clearing it before coming to rest, officials said.

The driver, in his late 50s, apparently had suffered a medical issue, causing the crash, Sgt. William Bailey said.

Shortly after 6 p.m., the driver of the 2011 Ford F-250 was heading east on the highway near Ten Barr Ranch Road when the pickup left the road near milepost 8.5, Bailey said.

“It went through the guardrail, and that sent him airborne over a driveway,” the sergeant said. “It hit the ground briefly before going airborne again and hit the edge of the canal as he crossed it.”

“He’s lucky he didn’t end up in the canal or upside-down,” Bailey added. “The momentum took him over the canal, but he took a big chunk out of the side of the canal. The pickup has heavy front-end damage.”

One lane of the highway was closed for about a half-hour while Bend Fire Department medics worked to remove the driver from the truck and take him to St. Charles Bend.