Madras motorcyclist critically injured in SUV crash

(Update: OSP provides details on crash)

A 35-year-old Madras man was critically injured Monday night when his motorcycle crashed into an SUV on U.S. Highway 26, Oregon State Police said.

Robert Peoples Jr. was taken first to St. Charles Madras, then flown to St. Charles Bend in critical condition, troopers said.

A 32-year-old Madras woman told troopers she was heading west on the highway shortly after 9 p.m. and had pulled into the center median at Earl Street to make a left turn.

She said she did not see any nearby oncoming traffic when she turned left and heard a loud boom. She pulled over to find a motorcycle had hit the front passenger side of her Chevy Suburban.

The crash and investigation closed the highway for nearly three hours.