A 59-year-old Lebanon man died late Thursday, November 5, after the motorcycle he was riding left Highway 20 near milepost 16 in Linn County, traveled along the shoulder, and rolled into a fence, throwing both him and his passenger from the bike. Tracy Allan Formby was pronounced dead at the scene, while his passenger, 41-year-old Carrie Rose Lee of Albany, was rushed to a hospital with serious injuries.
Oregon State Police troopers responded to the crash at approximately 10:55 p.m., according to a statement reported by flashalert.net. Formby had been riding a black Harley-Davidson eastbound on Highway 20 near Weirich Drive when the motorcycle departed the roadway for a reason investigators have not determined. The bike then traveled along the eastbound shoulder before striking a fence, ejecting both riders.
Passenger Hospitalized After Ejection
Lee, the passenger, was transported to an area hospital with serious injuries following the crash, per the same account from Oregon State Police. No further details on her condition have been released. As reported by KMTR, Formby's death marked the fatal outcome of a crash that closed down a stretch of the highway for hours during the investigation.
Highway 20 was impacted for approximately four hours while troopers worked the scene, the police statement noted. The road closure came as investigators documented the crash site near milepost 16, a stretch of highway that connects Lebanon to communities further east in Linn County.
Multiple Agencies Responded to the Scene
Oregon State Police said it was assisted at the scene by the Lebanon Police Department, the Lebanon Fire Department, and the Oregon Department of Transportation. The multi-agency response reflects the scale of the investigation and the length of time the highway remained affected.
The exact reason the motorcycle left the roadway remains unknown, according to investigators. No additional details about the crash have been released as the case continues to be reviewed by Oregon State Police.
