PHOTO COURTESY OF OSP
A stretch of road on Highway 204 was closed for more than two hours Thursday night following a two-vehicle accident that seriously three people.
The Oregon State Police (OSP) is continuing the investigation into Thursday night’s crash that occurred on Highway 204 about two miles east of Highway 11 in Umatilla County.
The accident occurred just before 9 p.m., when a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado pickup driven by Harrell R. Phillips, 66, of Athena, was traveling westbound on Highway 204 near milepost 2 and collided nearly head on with an eastbound 1998 Jeep Cherokee driven by Montana Rex Batterton, 19, of Weston.
Phillips, Batterton and an adult male passenger in the Chevrolet Silverado, who was asleep at the time of the collision, were all seriously injured. They were extricated by firefighters and transported by ambulance to Providence St. Mary Medical Center in Walla Walla. Phillips and his passenger, whose name was not available, were using safety restraints. It was unclear at the time whether Batterton was wearing a seat belt.
OSP troopers from the Pendleton Area Command office are continuing the investigation into the cause. Initial roadway evidence places the impact in the left eastbound lane.
OSP was assisted at the scene by Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office, East Umatilla County Rural Fire Protection District, Pendleton Fire & Ambulance, and the Oregon Department of Transportation.
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