Wreck stops traffic on HIghway 20

Passers-by and rescue workers attend to the passengers of two vehicles that collided on wet pavement in the Narrows Sunday afternoon, Dec. 13. Rescue workers were called at 4:20 p.m. to the scene, near milepost 25. Police reports with details of the accident had not been completed as of Tuesday morning, but here are the basics: According to a preliminary report, the collision was caused by one vehicle drifting over into oncoming traffic. The highway was shut down by ODOT in both directions as rescue workers from both Sweet Home and Lebanon responded to the incident. One person was trapped in a vehicle and was extricated by firefighters. Four people were sent to hospitals in Lebanon and Corvallis, but none had life-threatening injuries, police said. The engine of one of the vehicles was thrown from it. Dustin Nichol, a teacher and coach at Sweet Home High School, said three of the victims were his mother, his son Heath and his nephew Jake Swanson. All sustained deep bruising from seatbelts and cuts, and they were kept at Corvallis Regional Medical Center overnight for observation. “Nobody chipped a tooth,” he said.