Driver killed in Hwy. 26 head-on crash on Warm Springs Indian Reservation
(Update: Police release details; adding photo)
WARM SPRINGS, Ore. (KTVZ) – An SUV driver traveling at a high rate of speed and passing other vehicles on Highway 26 on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation Friday evening collided head-on with a pickup truck, killing one driver and leaving two other people with minor injuries, tribal police said Monday.
Warm Springs Tribal Police and medics responded to the two-vehicle crash about 6 p.m. near milepost 74, Lt. Ron Gregory said.
Based on the initial investigation, the driver of a 2007 Lincoln SUV was heading west at a high rate of speed and attempting to pass other vehicles when he struck an eastbound 2014 Ford pickup truck towing a small utility trailer, Gregory said. A driver died at the scene, he added.
Oregon state Police responded to assist with the investigation and crash reconstruction, Gregory said. Speed is considered a primary factor in the crash.
Gregory said driver information cannot be released at this time, as one of the drivers was a tribal member.
The crash and investigation shut down a 25-mile stretch of the highway for several hours, authorities said.
The highway was closed between mileposts 71 and 96, with drivers urged to use alternate routes, such as highways 35 and 216.The highway didn’t reopen until early Saturday.
