PHOTO COURTESY OF OSP
The Oregon State Police are investigating a crash that left the driver dead after the vehicle rolled into the Powder River in Baker County on Wednesday.
About 10:40 a.m., on Wednesday, the Oregon State Police Southern Command Center received a report of a vehicle that ran off the roadway and into the Powder River on Highway 7 near milepost 44.5 near Baker City. OSP Troopers from the La Grande Area Command and Baker County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.
Preliminary information indicates a 1988 Dodge Aries was traveling northbound when it left the roadway for unknown reasons. The vehicle traveled down an embankment, rolled over onto its top into Powder River. The operator was pronounced deceased upon arrival of emergency crews.
Members of the Baker County Sheriff’s Office, Baker City Fire Department, and Oregon Department of Transportation worked together in order to remove the deceased driver from the scene. At this time there is no evidence to suggest that speed or intoxicant impairment were factors in the crash.
The identity of the deceased driver will be released today to allow for the notification of next of kin.
