Four Cars Crash, Seriously Injuring Three

Date: January 23, 2010
Location: Highway 20 near Suttle Lake, Grandview, Oregon
Names: Kim Barry, Mark White, Wayne Johnson, Cynthia Worfford, Nelty Burggraf, Doyle Foster, Dewayne Wafford

On January 23, 2010, a series of crashes on an icy stretch of Highway 20 near Suttle Lake in Grandview, Oregon, seriously injured three people. As of January 25, two of the victims had improved, but one was still in critical condition.

Dewayne Wafford, 60, of Eugene, and Doyle Foster, 48, of Veneta, were upgraded from serious to fair condition, but Nelty Burggraf, 36, also of Veneta, remained in critical condition. All three were passengers in cars involved in the crash.

Around 9:45 AM, Kim Barry, 48, of Sisters, attempted to negotiate a turn on the highway, when she lost control of her car. The car left the road and flipped onto its top. Luckily, Barry told KTVZ, that she walked away without a scratch.

Just moments later, an SUV driven by Mark White, 46, of Veneta, which was behind Barry’s car, also lost control, spinning into the opposite lane. Burggraf and Foster, who were injured, were passengers.

The Bronco was then hit on its passenger side by a Ford Explorer driven by Wayne Johnson, 81, of Eugene. Wafford, who was also injured, was a passenger in the car.

Last, a car driven by Cynthia Worfford, 53, of Corvallis, slammed into one of the other cars. Worfford was apparently uninjured.

We send our thoughts and wishes for recovery to Burggraf, Wafford, and Foster, as well as everyone else involved in the crash. We hope you’re out of the hospital and back with your families soon.

Springtime is ahead, but it’s not here yet, and all drivers should be careful of icy roads. The Oregon Department of Transportation, in “Winter Driving Can Be Tricky,” offers some tips for driving in winter weather:

•    In snow or fog, drive with your low beams on. And keep headlights clean – dirty headlights can cut visibility by half.
•    Keep a good grip on the steering wheel. Do not make sudden turns; if you skid, correct your car using a light touch.
•    Increase following distance, then increase it some more. ODOT recommends at least three times the normal following distance in snow or ice.
•    If you find yourself skidding, ease your foot off the accelerator. If you have a manual transmission, push in the clutch. While keeping your foot off the brake, steer the same direction your car’s rear end is skidding.