Helicopters, ambulances, and local fire agencies converged Saturday night on the scene of a two-vehicle fatal crash on Highway 26 near milepost 31, an area west of the Four County Point area.
According to Banks Fire District spokesperson Mitch Ward, the crash occurred in the Elsie Vinemaple Rural Fire Protection District territory west of where Banks Fire District’s bounds end. Banks Fire aided the smaller district in the crash Saturday night, Ward said.
According to the Pulsepoint app, the call was dispatched just after 6 p.m. As of 10:30 p.m., the Oregon Department of Transportation said Highway 26 remained closed.
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Ward said the crash required extrication and a rope rescue after one of the two vehicles went 60 feet down a steep embankment.
In total, six patients were involved in the crash. Two were transported by Life Flight Network helicopters that landed at the nearest practical landing zone at the Sunset Rest area in Clatsop County.
Two more patients were transported to trauma centers by ground via Medix Ambulance and AMR, while a patient in critical condition was transported to an area hospital in Banks Fire District’s Medic 13 ambulance.
According to the Oregon State Police, a preliminary investigation conducted by the agency’s Collision Reconstruction Unit showed that a Toyota Rav4, operated by Fred Camino, 64, of Seattle, Wash. was heading west on Highway 26 in Tillamook County when, for unknown reasons, the vehicle crossed the centerline and struck an eastbound Nissan Sentra. Camino and a passenger, Ann Martinez, 60, also of Seattle suffered serious injuries and were transported to an area hospital, OSP said.
The Nissan was operated by Bassam Jabra Moussan, 62, of Austin, Texas. Moussan and passengers Matthew James Moussan, 34, of Vancouver, Wash. and Whitne Daniel Moussan, 30, of Davis, Calif. were all seriously injured and transported to a hospital.
A third passenger in the Nissan, Michelle Marie Moussan, 59, of Vancouver, Wash was declared deceased at the scene.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation, OSP said. Emergency crews worked on the highway for about 5 hours, OSP said.
Also assisting on scene were crews from Cannon Beach Rural Fire Protection District, who had command of the landing zone, Hillsboro Fire & Rescue, the Oregon Department of Transportation, the Oregon State Police, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, and a chaplain from the Cornelius Fire Department.
“Banks Fire would like to remind travelers that anything that can happen at anytime on roadways, especially during peak travel times on Holiday weekends,” Ward said. “Always be cognizant of road conditions and other vehicles at all times.
This story has been updated with information from an Oregon State Police press release.
Chas Hundley is the editor of the Banks Post and sister news publications the Gales Creek Journal and the Salmonberry Magazine. He grew up in Gales Creek and has a cat.
