One driver cited, another flown to hospital after Hwy. 126 crash near Powell Butte

(Update: Crook County Sheriff's Office information)

POWELL BUTTE, Ore. (KTVZ) – An Albany man was cited for reckless driving Wednesday morning after his car slammed into the back of another car stopped to turn left on Highway 126 east of Powell Butte, causing a three-car crash that toppled a power pole and sent another driver to the hospital, Crook County sheriff’s deputies said.

Deputies were dispatched around 5:20 a.m. to the reported crash on Highway 126 at Southwest Parrish Lane that left a power pole blocking the highway, Sgt. Jacob Childers said.

An investigation found that a 52-year-old Bend man driving a Honda Fit had stopped in the eastbound lane, waiting to turn left onto Parrish Road, Childers said.

A Hyundai Accent driven by Orion Tillitt, 21, of Albany, also was heading east and he failed to stop, rear-ending the Hyundai at near-highway speed, the sergeant said.

The force of the impact pushed the Hyundai into the westbound lane, where it collided head-on with an oncoming Ford F-150 pickup driven by a 33-year-old Clackamas man.

The pickup left the road and struck a fence and power pole, shearing off the pole and sending it falling onto the highway.

Crook County Fire & Rescue medics cut the pickup driver out of the vehicle and he was taken by Life Flight helicopter to St. Charles Bend with possible serious injuries, Childers said. The Honda Fit’s driver was taken by ambulance to St. Charles Prineville with minor injuries.

Tillitt was cited in lieu of custody at the scene for reckless driving. He was taken by Redmond Fire to St. Charles Redmond with minor injuries, Childers said.

The Crook County Sheriff’s Office also was assisted on the scene by Prineville police, Oregon State Police, ODOT and Pacific Power, whose repair crews were on scene to replace the pole and restore power to about 70 area customers.

The crash and replacement of the downed power pole tclosed the road for more than two hours in the area of milepost 11, west of Stillman Road and four miles east of Powell Butte, ODOT TripCheck indicated.

A detour was put in place, but ODOT encouraged motorists to use an alternate route. Despite the detour, the crash and closure led to major traffic backups in the area.