OSP identifies Bend woman killed in head-on crash on Highway 126 near Powell Butte Highway intersection
Silas Moreau
(Update: OSP releases details)
POWELL BUTTE, (KTVZ) — Oregon State Police on Thursday released the victim’s name and other details of Wednesday’s head-on crash of a Jeep and box truck near the intersection of Highway 126 and the Powell Butte Highway.
OSP troopers and other first-responders were called shortly after 9 a.m. to the crash scene near milepost 7 in Crook County
OSP said its preliminary investigation found that Aspen Cheyenne Hadley, 25, of Bend, was heading west at the wheel of a Jeep Cherokee when she veered into the oncoming lane for unknown reasons.
The Jeep collided head-on with an eastbound Freightliner box truck driven by Leah Lynn Laforest, 35, of Redmond.
Hadley died at the crash scene, troopers said. Laforest suffered reportedly serious injuries and was taken to an area hospital.
Troopers said the highway was closed for about three hours during the on-scene investigation.
OSP was assisted by the Crook County Sheriff’s Office.
Earlier info:
The crash was reported around 9 a.m. between Redmond and Prineville at milepost 7. ODOT advised drivers it would be an extended closure and urged them to use alternate routes. The highway reopened around 11:30 a.m., ODOT Region 4 Public Information Officer Kacey Davey told us.
The Crook County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post: that the highway would be closed in both directions “for a substantial period of time” due to the crash and also urged motorists to avoid the area.
They noted that Oregon State Police is the primary agency investigating this crash, since it occurred on a state highway.
An ODOT TripCheck camera showed a long line of traffic shortly after the crash.
