Salem man dies in U.S. 20 crash at Lost Lake

A Sunday afternoon skid on Highway 20 caused a head- on collision which claimed the life of a 73- year- old Salem man.

John M. Palmer was pronounced dead at the scene. The two occupants of the second vehicle escaped with minor injuries.

Palmer's small pickup truck was westbound at Lost Lake when it skidded on ice, crossed the center line and struck another pickup head- on in the east- bound lane, according to the Albany office of the Oregon State Police, which investigated the crash.

A father and son from Metolius, Kevin Cornelia, 38, and Michael Cornelia, 14, were the occupants of the second vehicle. They were treated at St. Charles Medical Center in Bend and later released.

Responding to the accident scene were medical emergency teams from Sisters, Camp Sherman, Black Butte Ranch and Air Life of Oregon.

The accident reportedly tied up traffic in both lanes for several hours.