State News Service
SALEM, Ore. — Oregon State Police (OSP) is continuing the investigation into an early Monday morning serious injury traffic crash involving an ambulance and a van on Highway 101 south of Seaside. Fatigue is being investigated as a contributing factor on the part of the van’s driver.
According to Senior Trooper Tom Dyer, on August 1, 2011 at approximately 3:15 a.m. a Medix Ambulance was involved in a non-emergency patient transport southbound on Highway 101 near milepost 23 when a northbound 2001 Chrysler van with three occupants crossed the center line. Ambulance driver Timothy E. Lewis, age 40, from Warrenton, steered to the right shoulder to avoid the van but the vehicles collided nearly head-on.
Lewis and the other two ambulance occupants were transported to Seaside Providence Hospital. Lewis had minor injuries. Co-ambulance employee, Robin L. Scholtz, age 38, from Warrenton, was tending to the patient at the time of the crash and received non-life threatening injuries. Scholtz is being transferred to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center for further treatment. The 72-year old female patient in the ambulance wasn’t injured during the crash.
The van’s three occupants were transported by ambulance to Columbia Memorial Hospital in Astoria. Driver Erika Esperanza Vazquez Montiel, age 34, from Seaside, was using safety restraints and was seriously injured. Right rear passenger Alejandra Palacios, age 17, from Seaside, was not restrained and received serious injuries. A 5-year old female child passenger in a child safety seat was in the left rear seat and received minor injuries. All three are being transferred to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center.
OSP had no troopers on duty at the time of the crash and were called out to investigate. Clatsop County Sheriff’s Office, Seaside Police Department, Seaside Fire Department and ODOT assisted at the scene. The highway was blocked about 90 minutes.
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