OSP IDs two killed in Hwy. 97 crash south of Redmond; 2 DUII crashes, arrests during closure, one hit ODOT vehicle
(Update: Adding video, Oregon State Police release details)
Family says van driver was in Central Oregon studying to be a pilot
REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) – A Redmond man from India and a Bend woman were killed Saturday evening when the man lost control of his van on U.S. Highway 97 south of Redmond and crossed the median into an oncoming lane, striking a SUV head-on, Oregon State Police and family members said.
The crash and investigation closed the highway for several hours – and during that time, two other crashes occurred, one hitting an ODOT vehicle diverting traffic at the crash scene. Both of those drivers were arrested on DUII charges, Oregon State Police said Sunday.
OSP troopers and other agencies responded to the crash, reported around 7:15 p.m. near milepost 128, about six miles south of Redmond and north of SW 61st Street.
Troopers said a preliminary investigation indicated a white Ford Econoline van driven by Ghandi Lakshmi Satya Sai Yerramsetti, 23, of Redmond, was heading north on the highway when he drove onto the shoulder for an unknown reason and lost control.
They said Yerramsetti then drove across both northbound lanes, the center median and into a southbound lane, colliding with a southbound silver 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee driven by a 32-year-old Bend man.
Yerramsetti and the Jeep’s lone passenger, Christy Lee Bigelow, 29, of Bend, sustained fatal injuries and died at the scene, OSP said. The Jeep’s driver was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
NewsChannel 21 heard from two brothers of Yerramsetti at their home in India after OSP notified them of the fatal crash. One, Trinath Sai, told us his brother had been in Central Oregon for the past year, studying to be a pilot at the Hillsboro Aero Academy Redmond Campus.
During the highway closure and detour, a suspected impaired driver struck an ODOT vehicle that was diverting traffic at 61st Street, OSP said. That driver, a 33-year-old Bend man, was arrested by Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies on a DUII charge. The driver of the ODOT vehicle was taken to the hospital for evaluation of non-life-threatening injuries, OSP said.
Another non-injury crash occurred in the southbound lane near the crash scene and the 20year-old driver also was arrested on a DUII charge.
Along with DCSO and ODOT, the Bend Fire Department assisted OSP at the crash scene, troopers said.
The crash and investigation closed a five-mile stretch of the highway for several hours Saturday night. ODOT established a detour using 61st Street, Canal Boulevard and Yew Avenue after advising drivers to use another route or expect extended delays.
"Expect extended delays or use an alternate route," ODOT initially advised.
ODOT has been working in recent years to extend median barriers to more of the highway between Bend and Redmond.
In the $5 million first phase of the project, completed last year, a median barrier was installed south of the Tumalo Road interchange, along with deceleration lanes from the southbound highway at Quarry Avenue and 61st Street.
"U.S. 97 between Redmond and Bend has a history of crashes that ODOT is trying to prevent in the future," a project summary stated. It noted 130 crashes on the highway between the two cities from 2011 to 2015, 10 of which led to deaths or injuries, some high-speed head-on collisions.
Phase 2 of the project, with planning now getting under way, will involve creating barriers along another 1.5 miles of the highway (mileposts 130.1 to 128.5), at an estimated cost of $10.85 million in ODOT's draft 2024-27-Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP).
The work is expected to add median barriers and turnaround options such as "J-turns" that provide for drivers who need to turn around safely to reach their destination.
ODOT's project summary said it will take "multiple phases" to complete the effort, noting: "Eventually, a center median barrier will be installed for the entire stretch of U.S. 97 from Redmond to Bend."
