One person was seriously injured Saturday morning in a two-vehicle traffic crash involving a Vancouver driver along Oregon’s Highway 26.
The accident occurred at about 10:45 a.m., just west of the Warm Springs Reservation boundary, according to the Oregon State Police.
A 2001 Volkswagen Jetta four-door driven by Tyler Van Vactor, 19, of Milwaukie, Ore., was stopped westbound on Highway 26 near milepost 70 signaling for a left turn onto a Forest Service road.
A 36-foot Itasca motorhome driven by Richard G. Stevens, 67, Vancouver, was westbound coming through a slight downhill curve and didn’t see the stopped Volkswagen in time to safely stop.
The motorhome crashed into the back of the Volkswagen, propelling it more than 150 feet west along the highway before it crashed into trees off the eastbound shoulder.
Off-duty paramedics from Hoodland Fire Department and Redmond Fire & Rescue stopped at the scene and rendered medical care before they were relieved by Hoodland Fire Department and AMR ambulance medical personnel. Van Vactor, who had been using safety restraints, was transported by air ambulance to OHSU Hospital in Portland.
Stevens and his 68-year old wife, Elizabeth Stevens, were not injured. They were also using safety restraints.
All lanes were closed for 30 minutes before one lane was opened for traffic. The highway was cleared about two hours after the crash.
