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Sheriff’s office investigating crash that left one dead, another hospitalized

(Courtesy/Marion County Sheriff’s Office)

The Marion County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a fatal Monday night crash east of Salem.

Shortly before 8 p.m. Monday, a 911 caller reported a vehicle had crashed into a pond near the intersection of Southeast Joseph Street and Southeast 71st Avenue, according to a Tuesday news release.

Bystanders helped get the passenger, 45-year-old Peter Kurbat, of Aumsville, out of the car.

When deputies arrived, the car was submerged. The driver 81-year-old Frank Kurbat, of Salem died, the news release said.

A bystander and deputies gave CPR to Peter Kurbat until medics arrived and transported him to a local hospital. He remains hospitalized in critical condition, the news release said.

Deputies determined the car, a 1999 Buick, was headed east on Joseph Street in heavy fog and continued through the T-intersection with Southeast 71st Avenue. The car then went through a fence and into the pond. 

“Investigators believe speed and foggy conditions were contributing factors to the crash,” the news release said. 

-Ardeshir Tabrizian