La Pine woman killed, second injured in Highway 97 head-on crash north of La Pine
(Update: Drivers identified; Highway 97 reopened)
La PINE, Ore. (KTVZ) – One La Pine woman was killed and another was flown to a Bend hospital with injuries after a head-on crash late Sunday morning that closed U.S. Highway 97 north of La Pine for more than four hours, authorities said.
Oregon State Police troopers and other first responders were called around 11:20 a.m. to the reported two-vehicle crash near milepost 159, about nine miles north of La Pine, OSP Captain Tim Fox said.
A preliminary investigation indicated Christina Witt, 37, was driving a Mazda Protégé heading south when she lost control of the car, for undetermined reasons, Fox said. Her car crossed into the northbound lane and collided with a Kia Rondo driven by Dawn Colon, 51.
Witt sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced dead. Colon was flown by AirLink air ambulance to the Bend hospital, where a house supervisor said she was in fair condition Sunday evening.
OSP was assisted at the scene by the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, La Pine Rural Fire District and OODOT.
A detour was put in place during the crash investigation, sending southbound traffic on Vandevert Road to Century Drive and La Pine State Recreation Road, while northbound traffic used those streets in the other direction, ODOT Region 4 spokeswoman Kacey Davey said. The highway reopened around 4 p.m.
