Two California residents killed, child critically injured in Hwy. 20 head-on crash near Sweet Home
(Investigators seek witnesses, video)
SWEET HOME, Ore. (KTVZ) – Two California residents were killed and a 4-year-old girl critically injured Saturday afternoon when an apparently impaired driver from Brownsville swerved across all lanes of U.S. Highway 20 west of Sweet Home, then back again, colliding head-on with another car, Oregon State Police reported.
OSP investigators asked Monday to hear from witnesses to the crash or the suspect car just before it, and video if possible.
OSP troopers and other emergency personnel responded around 4:45 p.m. Saturday to the two-vehicle crash on Highway 20 near milepost 23, just west of Sweet Home.
Troopers said an eastbound red Mazda 3 driven by a 33-year-old Brownsville man swerved across all lanes of traffic onto the westbound shoulder, then back into the eastbound lanes, colliding head-on with a silver Nissan Versa driven by Carl Curtis, 79, of Huntington Beach, California, who attempted to avoid the oncoming car.
The driver was taken to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, OSP said. The 4-year-old female passenger in his car was taken to the hospital with critical injuries.
Curtis and his passenger, Yvonne Levy, 73, also of Huntington Beach, sustained fatal injuries and died at the scene.
Highway 20 was closed for about four hours for OSP’s crash reconstruction team to investigate.
“Impairment is being investigated as a contributing factor in the collision,” OSP said in a news release.
OSP investigators are seeking witnesses to the crash or the suspect vehicle, a red Mazda 3, immediately before the collision, the agency said Monday.
Witnesses or those who may have video from Saturday at 4:45 p.m. at Highway and Liberty Road are urged to contact the OSP Dispatch Center at 800-442-07765 or OSP (677) from your mobile phone, in reference to Case No. SP22-113804.
OSP was assisted at the crash scene by the Sweet Home Fire District, Linn County Sheriff’s Office and ODOT.
