Metolius woman killed, 2 others injured in 4-vehicle Hwy. 97 crash near Terrebonne

(Update: Oregon State Police release details)

TERREBONNE, Ore. (KTVZ) – A Metolius woman was killed and two people were injured in a four-vehicle crash on U.S. Highway 97 north of Terrebonne that closed the highway for six hours, Oregon State Police reported.

The crash was reported shortly before 5 p.m. near milepost 115, about two miles north of Terrebonne,100 feet south of the intersection with Northwest Eby Avenue and 1 1/2 miles south of the "High Bridge" over the Crooked River.

OSP said a 58-year-old Metolius man driving a Hyundai Elantra was heading south when he tried to pass a pickup truck, driven by a 32-year-old Redmond man, on the highway shoulder.

When the Elantra driver reentered the southbound lane, it struck the front of the pickup, sending the Elantra into the northbound lane, troopers said.

The Elantra then struck a Nissan Pathfinder driven by Jessica Shaw, 33, of Metolius, OSP said. Her SUV was pushed into the southbound lane, where it was struck by a Dodge tow truck driven by a 26-year-old Terrebonne man.

Shaw died at the crash scene, OSP reported. A Madras man who was a passenger in the Elantra was taken to St. Charles Redmond with serious injuries. The tow truck driver reported minor injuries.

No one else, including the tow truck passenger, reported being injured, troopers said, adding that the investigation of the crash is ongoing.

ODOT and other agencies had urged residents to use an alternate route, if possible, and TripCheck cameras showed long traffic backups in both directions. The highway reopened before 11 p.m.

Redmond Fire and Rescue Battalion Chief Ken Brown said the four vehicles had been traveling at highway speeds. The crash left debris spread across more than 300 feet of the blocked two-lane highway,

Other agencies on the scene included Redmond police, ODOT and Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies.