EUGENE, PHILOMATH, Ore. (KMTR) -- A reminder for drivers to watch out for ice this morning on
Delta Highway after a two vehicle crash sent one man to the hospital and a single vehicle crash near Philomath killed a man.
Around 7:30 a.m. Saturday, December 31st, 2011, a box van collided with a small truck on the Delta Highway bridge over Beltline Highway.
The driver of the box van was not injured in the crash, however, Eugene firefighters had to use the jaws of life to extricate the driver of the truck. The male driver was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Eugene Police say ice was a factor in the crash.
“Particularly in a city the size of the Eugene Springfield area, you're going to have micro-climates even within the city, so where one area of town might not be icy, the other area might be,” said Officer Glenn Morris with the Eugene Police Department.
“With the ice, you don't expect that to happen, it can come out of nowhere, so we want to urge people to drive safely,” said Ofc. Morris.
Eugene Police were forced to shut down the north end of Delta Highway until around 9 a.m. on Saturday to clean up the crash.
Near Corvallis, Oregon State Police Troopers are investigating the death of a 38-year old from Vancouver, Washington, after a crash where ice likely played a role.
OSP says Victor Manuel Rios-Perez was driving westbound on Highway 20 near milepost 47 on an uphill section of roadway when he lost control of his pick-up truck, driving across eastbound lanes and into a ditch where the truck rolled on its top.
Two other passengers in the car received minor injuries in the crash and were taken to the hospital. Troopers are continuing to investigate.
