An automobile accident just east of Oakridge, Ore., resulted in the deaths of two University students and sent another to the hospital early Saturday morning.
The deceased have been identified by the Oregon State Police as Collin Phillip La More, 21, previously of Tigard, Ore., and Ellis Michael Heyer, 21, originally from Amherst, Mass. A third man, the driver of the 1987 BMW involved in the accident was identified by the OSP as Nicholas John Ries, 21, from Portland.
Ries survived the accident and was reported in earlier media reports to have been taken to Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend in Springfield. As of 11 a.m. yesterday, Ries was not a patient at Sacred Heart, hospital spokesperson Andrea Ash said.
The accident occurred at approximately 6:55 a.m. Saturday morning along Highway 58 near mile marker 51 in the Willamette Pass. The exact cause of the accident is unclear, but conditions in the pass were reported by the OSP as being foggy with spots of ice.
An off-duty Oakridge Fire Department officer was the first individual at the scene of the accident and found Ries outside of the vehicle.
Ries reportedly lost control and the car traveled off the eastbound shoulder where the passenger side collided into a large tree. Heyer and La More were still inside the vehicle and reportedly already deceased. One was in the front passenger seat and the other was in one of the rear seats. The Oakridge Fire Department soon responded, and at about the time of their arrival, the BMW, with both deceased victims still inside, caught fire. According to the OSP, the fire caused extensive damage before being extinguished.
The official OSP press release pertaining to the incident made no mention of drugs or alcohol being involved and said nothing about the use of seat belts by the vehicle’s passengers. OSP Lieutenant Gregg Hastings said as of yesterday afternoon that the OSP had no further comment on the accident, and that it was still an ongoing investigation.
All three students had been involved in the University’s outdoor programs. Director and senior instructor of the University’s Outdoor Pursuit Program, Michael Strong, said all three men had been in his class, and it didn’t surprise him that they would be out in Willamette Pass this weekend.
“I’m assuming they were headed up to the snow to have some fun,” Strong said.
University student Duy Vo said he was a friend of both of the deceased and was a former roommate of La More. He said he had gone snowboarding with La More in the past and remembers them both as avid outdoorsmen.
“I’m still just having a really bad feeling about this. He was one of my best friends,” Vo said, speaking about La More. “I’m trying to cope, but I’m still uneasy and uncertain about all of this.”
University President Richard Lariviere issued a letter on Monday expressing condolences to the family and friends of the victims of Saturday’s accident.
In the letter Lariviere said services from the University Counseling Center and the Office of the Dean of Students would be available to students to assist the University community in the wake of the accident.
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Two students dead, one injured after crash
Daily Emerald
January 24, 2011
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