A California woman has died following a two-vehicle collision near Stayton on Sept. 14 that resulted in three other passengers being hospitalized with minor injuries.
According to a news release from Oregon State Police, at around 9:30 p.m. a Buick SUV operated by a 55-year-old woman from Mountain View, California, was traveling south on Cascade Highway.
The Buick entered the intersection with Highway 214 and was struck by an eastbound Chevrolet pickup driven by an 18-year-old Salem man, causing both vehicles to spin off the roadway into a nearby field.
OSP said a passenger in the Buick, Phyllis Ilene Russo, 88, of Mountain View, was ejected from the vehicle and died at the scene. Police said Russo was not wearing a seatbelt.
The driver of the Buick as well as the driver of the Chevrolet and a 17-year-old male passenger in the truck, of Salem, suffered minor injuries and were transported to nearby hospitals. Two other passengers in the Chevrolet, both 17-year-old males from Salem, were reportedly uninjured.
The highway was impacted for roughly seven hours as authorities investigated the scene. OSP said possible causes of the crash included failure to obey a stop sign and impaired driving, and did not name which driver they believe to be responsible.
OSP was assisted by the Stayton Fire Department, Marion County Sheriff’s Office and ODOT.
