Two people died in central Oregon on Monday after colliding with a semitrailer that was obstructing both lanes of US-20 in Deschutes County, according to Oregon State Police.
State police detained Rajinder Kumar, the semi driver, on suspicion of criminally negligent homicide and reckless endangerment, according to a news release.
The semi, facing east, had jackknifed its trailer perpendicular to the westbound lane when William Micah Carter, a 25-year-old Springfield resident, struck it at highway speed at 9:30 p.m., according to state police. Carter and his passenger, 24-year-old Jennifer Lynn Lower of John Day, perished on the scene.
Police assume that the darkness and “a lack of active emergency warning equipment” contributed to the crash.
Kumar, 32, of Fresno, California, was unhurt, according to state police.
Leave a Reply