A tragic series of events unfolded on Highway 213 in Clackamas County, Oregon, with a fatal three-vehicle collision claiming the life of one driver and leaving another injured. The incident took place on the southbound lanes near milepost 10.5 on what was an otherwise unremarkable Wednesday evening. KPTV reports that 54-year-old Delfino Palacios Navarro of Molalla was attempting to negotiate a curve in his Mazda MZ6 when he veered into the oncoming traffic, instigating the fatal sequence.
After the Mazda collided with a Ram CS5, the force propelled the Ram across the divide where it struck a Ford Escape head-on. The driver of a Mazda, Navarro, was transported via helicopter to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. A second driver, identified as a 60-year-old resident of the Ford, was also taken to the hospital and is expected to recover, as stated by KVAL.
This crash comes closely on the heels of an earlier incident on the same highway, where 23-year-old Lyndsey Mohler lost control of her Ford Focus, resulting in her death and the injury of two others in a Subaru, KOIN reports.
Oregon State Police have indicated that the Mazda, driven by Navarro, was reportedly involved in a driving complaint made just minutes before the crash. However, specific details regarding the nature of this complaint and whether factors such as speed or intoxicants played any part have not been released. The sequence of the collision was corroborated by all sources, painting a consistent and grim portrait of the event's developments.
Investigations into the causes of both accidents on Highway 213 are currently ongoing. Officials urge anyone with information to come forward as they work to piece together the circumstances leading up to each collision.
