Motorcycle-pickup crash closes Highway 22E at Idanha for several hours, delays Central Oregon travelers
Barney Lerten
IDANHA, Ore. (KTVZ) — A motorcycle rider was seriously injured in a collision with a pickup Saturday night that closed state Highway 22E at Idanha for several hours, Oregon State Police said Monday.
OSP troopers responded shortly before 8 p.m. Saturday to the reported crash near milepost 54 on the highway, a key route between Central Oregon and the Willamette Valley.
Troopers said witnesses reported the motorcyclist was traveling west at a high rate of speed when he crashed into a Chevy pickup whose driver was pulling into their home’s driveway.
The motorcyclist, identified as Peter Joseph Okrasinski, 52, of Sheridan, Oregon, was flown to Salem hospital with serious injuries, OSP reported.
There were no reported injuries to the pickup driver, a 35-year-old Idanha resident, or his 63-year-old passenger, troopers said. The pickup driver was tested, and troopers found no signs of impairment.
The crash closed Highway 22 for several hours for crash reconstruction work, the agency said.
KTVZ News also heard from a motorist who said many travelers headed home to Central Oregon had to turn around and return to Salem for the time being, or find another route.