Bend woman killed and 6 people injured, including 4 children, in Highway 97 crash south of Bend
Barney Lerten
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — A Bend woman was killed and six people were injured, including four children, in a head-on crash of her car and a minivan on Highway 97 south of Bend Thursday night, Oregon State Police reported.
Here’s the full news release issued Saturday by OSP:
On Thursday, August 14, at 9:49 p.m., Oregon State Police responded to a two-vehicle fatal crash on Highway 97 near milepost 145 in Deschutes County.
The preliminary investigation indicated that a silver Honda Accord, operated by Felicia Devin Nicholson (33) of Bend, was traveling northbound on Hwy. 97 near milepost 145 when it drifted across the center line for an unknown reason and struck a southbound silver Honda Odyssey, operated by Earl Leone Christison IV (46) of Oregon City.
The operator of the Accord (Nicholson) was pronounced deceased at the scene.
The operator of the Odyssey (Earl Christison) was transported to a local hospital with minor injuries.
Odyssey passenger Erin Ruth Christison (45) of Oregon City was transported to a local hospital with serious injuries.
Four female juvenile passengers (ages 17, 14, 11, and 9) in the Odyssey were also transported to a local hospital with serious injuries.
The highway was impacted for approximately three hours during the on-scene investigation.
OSP was assisted by the Bend Police Department, Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, Sunriver Police Department, and multiple area emergency medical service responders.