A Salem woman was killed after traveling into Sweet Home at a high rate of speed and colliding with two vehicles Thursday evening.
Sherry Wheeler, 48, was deceased upon officer arrival at the scene of the crash, which included Main Street from 1st Avenue to 250 Main St., in front of OK Country Feed and Supply.
Police and medics responded to the crash at 7:53 p.m.
Sweet Home Fire and Ambulance District medics checked the occupants of the other two vehicles, said Police Chief Jeff Lynn. Neither were seriously injured, and they later chose to go to the hospital by private vehicle.
The Multi-Agency Investigative Team, which includes members from Albany Police Department, Lebanon Police Department, Linn County Sheriff’s Office and Oregon State Police, assisted the Sweet Home Police Department.
“The investigation revealed the vehicle driven by Wheeler had been traveling east on Main Street at a high rate of speed as it entered the city limits,” Lynn said. “Evidence indicates that the vehicle collided with a vehicle in the intersection of Main Street and 1st Avenue. The vehicle then collided with a second vehicle in the intersection of Pleasant Valley Road. It came to rest in front of 250 Main St.”
The investigation has not determined yet at what speed Wheeler had been traveling, Lynn said. “Speeds were considered excessive. One witness put the speed at triple digits.”
While that cannot be confirmed at this point, investigators do know that Wheeler’s vehicle was moving at a substantial speed, based on the force evident in the crash.
Lynn said the MAIT investigation, including toxicology and reconstruction, likely will take weeks or months.
Witnesses reported that Wheeler’s vehicle, a 2011 Dodge Avenger, collided with a 2008 Ford Edge driven by Lela Danforth, 56, of Sweet Home just east of 1st Avenue, Lynn said, and then continued on to strike a 1999 Ford Contour driven by Karie Lutz, 46, of Sweet Home. Lutz had been waiting at Pleasant Valley Road to make a turn onto Main Street.
Wheeler’s vehicle rolled and came to rest in front of OK Country, Lynn said.
The investigation is ongoing, Lynn said. Anyone with knowledge related to the incident is asked to call Det. Keenan Martin at the Sweet Home Police Department at (541) 367-5181.