JUNE28, 2015
Photo: OSP
Photo: OSPA driver slammed head-on into a Yamhill County Sheriff's Office patrol car on Highway 18, causing serious injuries to himself and a deputy, according to police.
Emergency crews responded to the highway about 7 miles west of McMinnville at 7:17 a.m. Sunday.
A 2006 Hyundai Santa Fe was heading east when it drifted off the highway and into the adjacent ditch. Investigators said the driver, Randy Manns, 46, of Depoe Bay, overcorrected and traveled across the eastbound lane and into the westbound lane.
His car collided with a westbound Yamhill County Sheriff's Office patrol car driven by 27-year-old Deputy Dave Mills of Sheridan.
Both cars were severely damaged and the Hyundai caught on fire.
Another deputy and a good Samaritan helped get Manns out of the burning car, while an OSP trooper and two passers-by used fire extinguishers to put out the fire.
Mann was flown to a Portland hospital, while Mills was taken by ambulance. Police said both suffered serious injuries.
The cause of the crash is under investigation. Police said both men were wearing seat belts.
Both directions of Highway 18 were closed for hours following the crash. The Oregon Department of Transportation reported that all lanes were open again by 1:45 p.m.