Jackson County, OR. — Oregon State Police are investigating a fatal single-vehicle crash that occurred early Saturday morning on Highway 140 near milepost 9 in Jackson County.
At approximately 3:50 a.m., troopers responded to a westbound Ford F350 that had failed to negotiate a curve, crashed through a guardrail, and rolled into an adjacent creek. The driver, a 17-year-old male from Eagle Point, and passenger Mitchel Frank Thorpe, 18, also from Eagle Point, were pronounced dead at the scene. Neither was wearing a seatbelt.
Two additional passengers, a 17-year-old male from Eagle Point and a 17-year-old female from Medford, were transported to a nearby hospital with critical injuries.
Investigators believe speed and impairment were primary factors in the crash. The highway was closed for about an hour during the on-scene investigation.
The Oregon State Police were assisted by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, Eagle Point Police Department, Medford Police Department, Lake Creek Fire, Fire District 3, and the Oregon Department of Transportation. The investigation remains ongoing.
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