Driver killed in rollover crash north of Madras
A 26-year-old Madras man was killed Wednesday afternoon in a rollover crash near Highway 26 about five miles north of Madras, Jefferson County Sheriff Jim Adkins said.
Adkins and deputies were dispatched to the crash shortly after 3 p.m. The Jefferson County Fire District No. 1 was first on scene, finding a 2001 Subaru station wagon about a half-mile west of the highway.
An Air Life helicopter was sent to the scene, but the driver, Jose Torres Ramos, died of his injuries before he could be taken to the hospital, Adkins said.
Deputies investigated the crash, assisted by an Oregon State Police trooper, and determined that Ramos was heading east on Elm Lane at a high rate of speed, Adkins said.
For unknown reasons, the Subaru drifted onto the right shoulder of Elm Lane, where it appears Ramos over-corrected, sending the station wagon veering to the left and leaving the north side of Elm Lane, rolling several times into an alfalfa field.
Adkins said Ramos was not wearing a seat belt and was thrown from the car, into the field.
While speed was a factor in the crash, Adkins said he had no evidence of drugs or alcohol being involved.