Tragedy struck on a busy stretch of Highway 101 in Lincoln County near Lincoln City this past Saturday when a multi-vehicle collision resulted in one fatality and several injuries. According to Oregon State Police reports, at approximately 3:31 p.m., a white Chevrolet Spark driven by Paula Babcock, 69, from Donald, swerved out of her lane and initiated a sequence of impacts involving three other vehicles.
Babcock's car first struck a southbound white Tesla S, operated by 57-year-old Robert Gates of Salem, before crashing into a blue GMC Yukon, driven by Mary McCarthy, 62, of Lincoln City. The chain-reaction continued when the Tesla, veered into the northbound lane, colliding with a black Kia Sorento driven by 65-year-old Diane Rodriguez, also of Lincoln City. The incident caused traffic to back up for hours as emergency crews and law enforcement responded to the chaotic scene.
The consequences of the crash were grave. Babcock was pronounced dead at the location, while the occupants of the other involved vehicles suffered varying degrees of injury. Diane Rodriguez and her passenger, James Rodriguez, 76, were taken to a local hospital to treat minor injuries, as reported in the OSP release. Similarly, McCarthy and the Gates along with his passenger Alena Gates, 41, sustained minor injuries but their conditions stabilized shortly after the accident.
The aftermath of the accident had a significant impact on traffic, shutting down the highway for about seven hours as Oregon State Police and local agencies such as the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, Lincoln City Police Department, Depoe Bay Fire Department, North Lincoln Fire and Rescue, PacWest Ambulance, and the Oregon Department of Transportation, worked together to clear the scene and assist the injured.
