A 78-year-old Newport woman was killed Saturday on Oregon Highway 138 about 12 miles east of Reedsport when she tried to avoid a large truck passing other cars but instead collided head-on with the vehicle.
Oregon State Police said Shelley Sue McLaughlin died at the scene of the crash about 12:15 p.m. Saturday.
Police said their preliminary investigation indicated a westbound Ford F-350, operated by Chandler M. Sulffridge, 23, of Roseburg, was passing several westbound vehicles in the eastbound lane. McLaughlin was eastbound in her Kia Sorrento, police said, and attempted to avoid the truck by driving on the eastbound shoulder. However, state police said, Sulffridge’s truck also entered the eastbound shoulder in an effort to avoid a collision and the vehicles collided head-on.
Police said Sulffridge suffered serious injuries and was taken to an area hospital.
The cause of the crash is under investigation, police said Monday.
