BY MICHAEL BOOTH
CORVALLIS - A head-on car crash on Highway 99W, just south of Greenberry Road, near the Corvallis Airport resulted in no life-threatening injuries Saturday afternoon.
The collision occurred at about 1:25 p.m.
Oregon State Police Trooper provided this account of the collision, which occurred about 1:25 p.m.
A 2002 Mazda sport utility vehicle, driven by Janet R. Sletten, 70, of Eugene, was southbound on Highway 99W near milepost 92 when it drifted into the northbound lane. That caused the driver of a northbound Jeep to swerve off the road and down a steep embankment. The Jeep did not roll over, nor was its driver injured.
The car behind the Jeep, a gray Mitsubishi Eclipse with four occupants, wasn't as lucky.
A northbound 1997 Mitsubishi Eclipse, with driver Jose J. Gonzalez of Corvallis and three other passengers, was behind the Jeep and collided head-on with the Mazda, causing the Mitsubishi's front airbags to deploy.
Both drivers were transported to Good Samartan Regional Medical Center with minor injuries.
OSP troopers investigating the crash identified fatigue as a factor in the crash. Sleten was cited for failing to drive within a traffic lane.
Traffic backed up in both lanes of the highway until 2:05 p.m., when deputies were able to get the vehicles towed.
Benton County Sheriff's Cpl. Al Schermerhorn, who was on the scene, said the stretch of Highway 99W between Corvallis and Monroe is particularly dangerous because it is the most narrow portion of the highway. The shoulder on both sides measures only a few feet.
"The guy in the Jeep should go out and buy a lottery ticket, because I don't know how he kept that car upright," Schermerhorn said.