Sheridan, OR : Woman in wheelchair struck, killed by car in Sheridan on Wednesday morning, December 31, 2014

A woman in a wheelchair died Wednesday morning from injuries she sustained in a hit-and-run crash along Highway 18B, Sheridan Fire Officials said.

Police said they found the driver, 81-year-old Tom Mishler, a short time after the crash.

Emergency crews arrived at the crash scene along Highway 18B just before 7 a.m. to find Connie Nickeson, 66, of Sheridan, lying next to the road with serious injuries, Oregon State Police said.

Fire officials said Nickeson died at the scene.

Investigators said Mishler was driving east on the highway in his Pontiac Vibe when he hit Nickeson, who was also traveling east in the eastbound lanes in her wheelchair.

The sound of the crash was loud enough to wake Rich Cox and his wife New Year’s morning. Their home sits along the highway and directly across from Deer Meadow Assisted Living Community where Nickeson lived.
Knowing that it is a busy, at times dangerous, thoroughfare, Cox is used to helping down-and-out drivers. So, he grabbed a light and headed out expecting to see a trucker with a blown-out tire. That’s not what he found.

“I saw the wheelchair and then as I was coming closer, because there were 8-10 people standing around, so, I came over and then I saw her, approximately right here, you know, on her back (and) in the ditch,” Cox said, pointing.

What’s more, Cox knew the woman now lying seemingly lifeless in her wheelchair. He says he did not know her name but had spoken with her – even warned her about the busy roadway.

“She wheels out. She's come over to grab some flowers, and I've just seen her come out and head down the road,” Cox continued.

“It's hard because she was my next-door neighbor,” Diana Toohei told KATU News, who lived next to Nickeson at the assisted living community.

Feet away from where her friend was struck and killed, in a wheelchair herself, she says center staff warned residents not to stray outside of the parking lot. At night and in the early morning, the sidewalk outside the center is pitch black and so is the roadway.

“So, I think if we were to get some lights put up. We've got lights on the parking lot, but if we could put lights up on the street or the sidewalk, I think it would help tremendously,” Toohei added.

Toohei says she does not know why Nickeson was out so early but does know she loved being outside.

State troopers said alcohol was not a factor in the crash, and investigators are still trying to find out why Mishler left the crash scene.

Mishler told a KATU News reporter Thursday night that he may speak about what happened after police release more information about the incident. He said he had a good reason for leaving the scene.

He has not been arrested and is cooperating with police.

Law enforcement closed Highway 18B for about 5 hours while troopers investigated the crash.


Source :
Man hits, kills woman in wheelchair along highway in Sheridan