Redmond man, 45, struck and killed on Bend Parkway; driver says man was lying in the roadway

Southbound lanes have reopened; investigation continues

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – A Redmond man was struck and killed on the Bend Parkway early Friday morning by a La Pine man heading home from work who called authorities to report he’d struck someone lying in the road.

Bend Police responded around 3:15 a.m. to the reported crash on the southbound parkway (Highway 97) north of the Empire Avenue exit, Sergeant Whitney Dickson said.

The driver, a 22-year-old La Pine man, said he was driving a Chevy Suburban southbound as he headed home from work when he ran over someone lying in the right lane of the highway near the Exit 135A exit ramp, Dickson said.

Police arrived to find the crash victim, James Samson Paris, 45, of Redmond, had died at the scene.

The driver remained on the scene and cooperated with investigators, Dickson said. He has not been cited, and the investigation is continuing.

Southbound lanes of the parkway were closed for about 3 ½ hours as the crash reconstruction team investigated the scene. A detour of southbound traffic rerouted drivers onto Third Street (Business 97) during the closure,

It was the third fatal crash in Central Oregon in less than 24 hours.