Several Injured in Crash Near Chemult, Oregon

People in a passenger car were injured as well as the driver of one semi.

Photos of crash scene: Oregon State Police (Full size images below story)

(CHEMULT, Ore.) - Six people received non-life threatening injuries Saturday morning in a multiple vehicle crash on an icy stretch of Highway 97 about 13 miles south of Chemult, Oregon State Police said.

OSP Senior Trooper Joe Smith says that at approximately 9:15 AM, a black Chrysler 300 four-door driven by 33-year old Edith Juarez of Los Angeles, was northbound on Highway 97 near milepost 217 when it lost control and spun into the path of a southbound commercial truck driven by 47-year old Richazrd Morss of Burlington, Iowa.

Smith says the right front of the truck clipped the rear of the Chrysler and sheared off the trunk area. Morss's commercial truck and semi-trailer jack-knifed across both lanes of Highway 97 and crashed into the left side of a northbound commercial truck driven by 34-year old Myles Standridge of Montclair, California.

Two rear seat passengers in the Chrysler identified as 29-year old Jaqueline Pimentez and Moises Pimentez, both from Los Angeles, California, received non-life threatening injuries and were transported by Chemult EMS to St. Charles Medical Center in Bend.

Edith Juarez and two other passengers identified as 50-year old Pedro Lopez and 40-year old Guadalupe Lopez, also from Los Angeles, were all transported by Chemult EMS to St. Charles Medical Center.

Morss was transported by Chemult EMS to Sky Lakes Medical Center in Klamath Falls with a minor injury. A 41-year old female passenger in Morss's vehicle was not injured. Stanridge was also not injured.

All involved people were using safety restraints. Senior Trooper Smith credits safety restraints use with preventing more serious injuries to the occupants in the Chrysler. Highway 97 was closed about three hours at the scene of the crash.

Smith says Oregon State Police troopers from the Gilchrist worksite are completing the investigation. ODOT also assisted at the scene.