A near head-on collision on Highway 11 near Athena on Thursday left two people seriously injured.
The accident occurred around 1 p.m. on Thursday near milepost 15 when a 1996 Honda Civic driven by Gregory Murray, 44, of Milton-Freewater, was attempting to pass several vehicles when it encountered a 1996 Toyota Camry driven by Jim Rasmussen, 77, of Pendleton. Both drivers attempted to avoid each other, but collided nearly head on in the vicinity of the northbound lanes and shoulder. Murray was traveling southbound and Rasmussen was traveling northbound.
Rasmussen and his passenger, Donna Rasmussen, 74, suffered serious but non-life threatening injuries and were transported to St. Anthony Medical Center in Pendleton. Murray and a female passenger received minor injuries and did not require hospitalization.
The Oregon State Police was assisted at the scene by Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office, Pendleton Fire & Ambulance, Athena Police Department, and ODOT. Traffic was reduced to one lane for about an hour during incident response and scene clearance.
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