La Pine man, 21, faces DUII, other charges in Bend Parkway rear-end crash that seriously injured 2

(Update: Details of crash; driver facing charges)

Other crashes reported in region on rainy start to weekend

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – A 21-year-old La Pine man faces drunken driving, assault and reckless endangering charges in a four-vehicle rear-end crash Friday afternoon on the Bend Parkway that sent two people to St. Charles with serious injuries, police said.

Callers informed dispatch around 3:40 p.m. of the crash that occurred in the inside (left) northbound lane of the parkway (Highway 97) near the Highway 20 “loop” onramp (Exit 135A), Lieutenant Mike Landolt said.

An investigation determined that a white van and blue Toyota 4-Runner were stopped, as traffic was backed up, Landolt said.

The third vehicle, a gray Jeep Cherokee, was slowing down, when a fourth vehicle, a black Dodge pickup truck, crashed into the Jeep, which then hit the two vehicles stopped in front of it, the lieutenant said.

The pickup driver, who sustained minor injuries, faces charges of DUII-alcohol, two counts of second-degree assault, five counts of reckless endangering and reckless driving, Landolt said.

A woman, the front-seat passenger in the Jeep, and a child who was a rear-seat passenger in that vehicle were taken to St. Charles Bend with serious injuries. The Jeep’s male driver also was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

Southbound lanes were closed for close to an hour, as they were being used to get emergency vehicles to the scene, ODOT Region 4 spokeswoman Kacey Davey said. The southbound parkway reopened around 4:30 p.m. and northbound lanes were cleared an hour later.

Bend police asked anyone who witnessed the crash to contact them through the Deschutes County dispatch non-emergency number, 541-693-6911.

It was one of several crashes reported, including two in the Redmond area, as the Memorial Day weekend travel period began amid rainfall over much of the region.