Deadly Crash In Polk County

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – The Polk County Sheriff’s Office says a 64-year-old woman died in a traffic crash.

Sheriff’s officials say Carol Nichols died at the scene of the crash on Corvallis Road near Independence late Saturday. Her 71-year-old husband, Marvin Nichols Jr., was taken to a hospital with serious injuries.

Officials say authorities initially responded to a reported single-vehicle, non-injury crash. But before they arrived, reports came in that the crash involved injuries and more than one vehicle.

Officials say the Nichols’ pickup truck had initially gone into a ditch, with part of the vehicle blocking a lane. Officials say another pickup, driven by 18-year-old Winn Miller of Salem, struck the truck while the Nichols were standing on the driver’s side of their vehicle. The impact caused the Nichols’ truck to hit them.

Miller sustained minor injuries.

Officials are seeking the driver of a white pickup truck that apparently stopped to help but left the scene when the second crash occurred.