A Nevada truck driver was arrested last week, a day after a fiery crash on Highway 20 near Mountain House that left a Bend woman dead.
Oregon State Police troopers, working in cooperation with the Linn County District Attorney’s Office, arrested commercial truck driver Billy Wayne Floyd, 28, of Las Vegas, Nev. on Tuesday afternoon, July 28, on suspicion of second-degree manslaughter and third-degree assault, according to OSP Sgt. Craig Flierl. He was lodged in Linn County Jail on the charges.
The arrest is part of the ongoing investigation into the Monday afternoon traffic crash on Highway 20 east of Sweet Home that killed Ethel Ann Hopkins, 63, of Bend.
Hopkins was killed in a head-on collision with a commercial semi truck and trailer driven by Floyd on Highway 20 east of Sweet Home. She was a passenger in a red Dodge Dakota pickup towing a light blue trailer driven by her husband, Craig Hopkins, 66, that was struck by a truck driven by Floyd. The truck, towing a semi-trailer loaded with a carnival ride operated by Davis Amusement Cascadia, Inc., reportedly was westbound and failed to negotiate a corner, crossing into the eastbound lane where it struck the Dodge Dakota head-on.
Other motorists were able to pull Craig Hopkins from the pickup before all vehicles were consumed by fire. He was transported to St. Charles Medical Center in Bend with non-life threatening injuries.
The investigation is being conducted by troopers from the Oregon State Police Albany Area Command. Troopers from the Bend, Springfield, and Salem OSP area commands also assisted. Additional assistance on the scene was provided by the Oregon Department of Transportation, Linn County Sheriff’s office, and U.S. Forest Service law enforcement personnel.
Troopers are interested in speaking with any witnesses to the crash or to anyone who observed the commercial vehicle prior to the incident. Anyone with information is asked to call Senior Trooper Scott Hite at 541-967-2026 ext. 4440.