Police say a woman was killed and a young teen was injured in a collision Thursday morning, Oct. 5, after a dump truck collided head-on with an SUV in south Salem.
Emergency responders found two people in the SUV, Jody L. Miehl, 50, and a 13-year-old passenger. Miehl was pronounced dead at the scene.
The teen was transported to Salem Health with non-life-threatening injuries, the Salem Police Department announced in a news release Thursday evening.
Police were called around 8 a.m. Thursday the collision scene at the intersection of South River Road and South Viewcrest Drive.
Crash investigators determined that the driver of the dump truck entered the intersection and struck the SUV, and pushing it backward and down an embankment off the west side of River Road.
The driver of the dump truck, Earl H. Halemba, 53, was not injured. He stayed at the scene and is cooperating with the investigation, police said in the news release.
“There is no further information available at this time, including that of citations or arrest, as the incident remains an active investigation,” according to the statement.
River Road was closed between Viewcrest Drive and Southwest Minto Island Road for for about eight hours as drivers were asked to find alternative routes.
“The extended closure was due to the rest position of the involved vehicles and removal of the full load the commercial truck carried, requiring extra time for emergency personnel to remedy,” Salem police said in the statement.
Salem police spokeswoman Angela Hedrick said around 1:30 p.m. on Thursday that crews were working to right the overturned dump truck.
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Contact reporter Ardeshir Tabrizian: [email protected] or 503-929-3053.
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Ardeshir Tabrizian has covered criminal justice and housing for Salem Reporter since September 2021. As an Oregon native, his award-winning watchdog journalism has traversed the state. He has done reporting for The Oregonian, Eugene Weekly and Malheur Enterprise.
