Wreck on highway claims a life

A 51-year-old man was killed and his passenger was seriously hurt in a collision on Highway 20 six miles east of Sisters on Thursday morning, May 15.

According to Oregon State Police, a westbound Geo Gem suddenly veered in front of an eastbound passenger sedan driven by a 26-year-old Sisters man.

The eastbound car struck the Geo in the rear, sending it into the ditch on the south side of the highway.

Juan Muñoz, 52, of Madras, was dead at the scene. The passenger, Maria Jesus Rosales, 32, was badly hurt. Air Life landed in an adjacent field and transported her to St. Charles Medical Center in Bend, where she is listed in fair condition.

The Sisters man was treated for minor injuries and released.

The accident backed up traffic in both directions, though road crews were able to keep one lane open while emergency crews rescued Rosales.

According to police, the wreck was caused by a common driving mishap in the Sisters country: the driver drifted off onto the right shoulder and overcorrected, shooting into the oncoming lane of traffic.

Experts advise drivers who find themselves running off onto the shoulder to relax and "coax" the car back onto the road, rather than quickly jerking the car back onto the road.

Hitting a fence or guardrail is preferable to running into oncoming traffic.