PUBLIC SAFETY

Salem man dies after driving off East Highway 22

A Salem man died in a collision on Jan. 8 after driving off a highway into an embankment in the Santiam Canyon, according to the Oregon State Police.

The agency responded at 8:40 p.m. that Wednesday night to a single-vehicle crash on East Highway 22, east of Gates. 

Police determined that John H. Lambert, 60, was driving a Chevrolet Silverado east on the highway when he “left the roadway for unknown reasons, traveled down an embankment, struck a stump and rolled,” according to a news release. “The cause of the crash is under investigation.”

Lambert was declared dead at the scene.

The highway was impacted for about an hour while police investigated. 

The Stayton Police Department, Gates Rural Fire Protection District and Oregon Department of Transportation also responded to the crash.

Oregon State Police responded to a single-vehicle crash on East Highway 22, east of Gates, at 8:40 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 8 (Google Maps)

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.