La Pine, OR : Bend man dies in head-on crash with truck on U.S. Highway 97 north of La Pine on Saturday afternoon, April 2, 2016

A Bend man died Saturday afternoon in a head-on collision between a van and a semi on U.S. Highway 97 north of La Pine.

Nathan Mackey, 26, of Bend, was killed when the 2002 Chevrolet van he was driving south drifted over the center line for unknown reasons, colliding with a northbound 1999 Freightliner truck towing a commercial box trailer, according to an Oregon State Police news release. Mackey was pronounced dead at the scene after the 1:45 p.m. crash. The driver of the truck, Steven J Wester, 59, of Yakima, Washington, was uninjured.

“It looks like they were traveling at highway speeds and the (van) drifted,” OSP Lt. Bill Fugate said Sunday.

Highway 97 was closed for more than three hours on Saturday because of the crash, and a detour a was established.

Contributing factors to the crash are still under investigation.

OSP was assisted at the crash site by ODOT, the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, and La Pine Fire and Rescue.

Source :
Police identify Bend man killed in Saturday crash