Crash kills one on U.S. Highway 20 in Tumalo

Published 9:39 am Monday, July 31, 2023

One person was killed and two people were injured Friday in a car crash on U.S. Highway 20 in Tumalo.

Officers responded at 4:26 p.m., according to a news release  from Oregon State Police. 

A Ford F350, heading east near O.B. Riley Road, T-boned a Subaru Forester that was making a U-turn on the highway. All people involved were transported to St. Charles Bend, according to OSP. 

The driver of the Subaru, Janet Diane Abelein, 68, died at the hospital. The passenger of the Subaru, Dwayne Milo Abelein, 65, and the driver of the Ford, Policarpo Vasquez Prudente, 46, were treated for injuries.

During the investigation, the highway was partially closed while the Oregon Department of Transportation was at the scene for 1½ hours, according to ODOT.

Drew Norris, deputy chief of emergency medicine for Bend Fire & Rescue, said that calls for car crashes have become more frequent in recent years.

“With more people moving to Bend and vacationing here, there’s just a lot more calls and a lot more incidents happening that we’ve noticed,” Norris said. 

OSP Lt. Steve Mitchell said crashes involving U-turns on the highway are uncommon and this crash is being investigated to determine if it was legal.

“We would encourage drivers to be aware of their surroundings when making such a maneuver and to be familiar with the law,” Mitchell said.