‘A horrible accident’

Published 5:00 am Saturday, July 2, 2011

A Redmond woman was killed Thursday when she was crushed between two pickup trucks as she was taking lunch to her boyfriend near a logging operation in the Oregon Coast Range.

Heather Joanne Smith, 28, had parked one of the trucks on a Forest Service road, according to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputy Abby Dorsey said it appears Smith’s truck had been left in neutral and rolled forward, pinning her against the second truck. Smith was found 30 to 40 minutes after the incident, Dorsey said, and was declared dead at the scene.

The incident happened on Siuslaw National Forest land in the far southeast corner of Lincoln County, about 35 to 40 miles southeast of Waldport. Dorsey said her department is investigating the incident, but has no reason to believe anyone will face charges.

“It was just a horrible accident,” Dorsey said. “There doesn’t appear to be anything criminal.”

Deanna Cook, Smith’s mother, said her daughter’s boyfriend was working in the forest nearby.

Cook said her daughter had lived in Central Oregon her whole life, and had graduated from Crook County High School. Smith worked in construction, Cook said, most recently as a flagger. She loved spending time with her family, especially her 3-year-old daughter.

“She lived every minute to the fullest, and she loved the outdoors, she loved the woods,” Cook said. “And she loved her little girl with all her heart.”