Critical Injury Crash on Highland Ave; One Airlifted to Hospital

Redmond Police Dept. - 04/28/18 

Redmond, OR – On April 27, 2018, at approximately 1:53 PM, Redmond Police Officers, and fire personnel from Redmond Fire & Rescue were dispatched to a reported head-on two-vehicle crash involving a semi-truck on SW Highland Ave near SW 31st Street.  While Officers were responding, additional information received by Deschutes County 911 Dispatch indicated one of the drivers was not breathing and unconscious.

Redmond Police Officers arrived on scene to find the driver of a small passenger vehicle with ineffective breathing and was still unconscious.  The driver was being tended to by several people who had stopped at the scene.  Officers quickly and correctly determined the driver need to be removed from the vehicle to perform life-saving measures.  Officers and off-duty out of the area medically trained individuals rendered aid until relieved by Redmond Fire & Rescue medic who arrived later.  Life Flight was dispatched to the scene and landed in a field next to the crash.  The driver was flown to St. Charles Medical Center-Bend for treatment of critical injuries.  Safety belt use information is unknown at this time.

An investigation at the scene determined a Ford Fiesta passenger car driven by Michael Henderson, 77-years-old and a Bend resident, was eastbound on SW Highland Ave and for unknown reasons crossed the centerline and crashed into the rear axle of the trailer of a semi-truck/trailer combination which had been driving westbound on SW Highland Ave.  The driver of the semi-truck, Dennis Tewes, 63-year-old from Lebec, California, was not injured.

Redmond Police was assisted at the scene by the Oregon State Police and Oregon Department of Transportation.  Additionally, Redmond Public Works assisted with setting up a detour on adjacent surface streets. 

The crash location was not associated with recent improvements to the intersection of SW Highland Ave and SW 35th Street.  In 2018, no crashes have been reported to the Redmond Police Department occurring at this intersection after the intersection was improved with left turn lanes.

The Redmond Police Department would like to remind all drivers to pay constant attention to their driving and what is occurring all around them.  At any time, an unforeseen vehicle, pedestrian, or another hazard can appear in a vehicle’s path, and a fully attentive driver is better prepared to respond versus a distracted driver.  Please slow down, buckle-up, and do not drive impaired or distracted.  In May, the Redmond Police Department will be participating in a nationwide safety belt enforcement campaign intended to remind drivers and passengers to wear their safety belt whenever they are in a vehicle.