A 75-year-old Portland woman died Wednesday afternoon when the car she was driving was struck by a southbound semi-truck on U.S. Highway 97 in Wasco County, and her 80-year-old husband was airlifted to a hospital with serious injuries. Mary Elizabeth Auch Hankins was pronounced dead at the scene, while her husband, Richard Thomas Hankins, survived the collision that happened near the Cow Canyon Rest Area.
According to KGW, Oregon State Police released a statement Friday detailing the crash, which occurred around 1:18 p.m. on Wednesday near milepost 69. Police said Mary Elizabeth Auch Hankins was driving a silver Toyota Venza and, per a preliminary investigation, pulled in front of an oncoming southbound commercial semi-truck while attempting a left turn. The semi struck the Venza, pushing it over an embankment, and both vehicles came to rest off the highway's east shoulder.
Cow Canyon Rest Area is near milepost 69 on U.S. Highway 97.
Driver Identified, Investigation Continues
The semi-truck involved was a blue Volvo pulling a 53-foot box trailer, driven by 32-year-old Muhammad Shafiq of Yuba City, California, according to a press release relayed by Columbia Community Connection. Shafiq was not injured, remained at the scene, and cooperated with investigators. The cause of the crash remains under investigation, and the highway was not affected by the inquiry.
Richard Thomas Hankins was airlifted from the scene via Life Flight helicopter to a regional trauma center, Oregon State Police confirmed to Elkhorn Media Group. The Wasco County Sheriff's Office, Jefferson County Fire and Emergency Medical Services, and the Oregon Department of Transportation all assisted at the scene.
A Deadly Pattern Along the Highway 97 Corridor
Under Oregon Revised Statute 811.350, drivers turning left across traffic must yield the right-of-way to any oncoming vehicle already in the roadway or close enough to pose an immediate hazard. Failing to yield while making a left turn is classified as a Class B traffic violation in Oregon, though investigators have not said whether any citation or finding has been issued in this case.
This is not an isolated tragedy for the corridor. Oregon State Police and state transport records compiled between 2017 and 2024 documented 5,855 total traffic crashes along Highway 97 in Oregon, resulting in 159 fatalities and 443 serious injuries, according to The Bulletin. Between 2018 and 2022, Highway 97 had Oregon's highest fatalities-to-crashes rate among major state highways, with 97 fatalities and 3,461 total crashes.
In Deschutes County, U.S. 97 accounted for 10 motor vehicle fatalities.
Investigation Continues
It remains unclear whether state investigators will identify factors beyond right-of-way order, such as sightline conditions near the rest area, or whether transportation officials plan any safety changes at that specific location. For now, Oregon State Police say the investigation into Wednesday's crash is ongoing.
