Cloverdale ,OR : one person killed and two others injured after a fatal head-on All Terrain Vehicle crash at Sand Lake Recreation Area on Saturday afternoon ,April 18 2015

One person is dead and two people were hurt Saturday after a fatal head-on ATV crash out at the Oregon dunes Saturday.

Tillamook County deputies were called out to an ATV accident just aftert 1:30 p.m. at the top of a dune in the Sand Lake Recreation Area.

Deputies found two sandrail vehicles, which are slightly larger ATV's similar to a dune buggy, crashed on the sand. Two people were on one ATV and three people were on the other. One of the drivers, Robert Sullenger, 46, of Stayton was pronounced dead at the scene, according to deputies.

“At first seriously, I didn’t think anybody was going to die,” said Chad Higbee, who was 80 yards away when the crash happened. “It wasn’t bad from a distance but once you got down there I saw some stuff and it was bad.”

His passenger Sharon Sullenger, 50, also from Stayton was flown out by helicopter to OHSU, while the third passenger Justin Spaulding, 35 from Salem was taken by ambulance to Tillamook Regional Medical Center.

“Hopefully, I’m praying that they’ll make it, the one guy didn’t make it,” Higbee said.

The ATV driver who was killed was going up a dune, when a slightly bigger ATV was heading down.

“To see that it was hard,” Higbee said. “As they’re doing it, it hits you hard.”

The driver of the second sandrail, Patrick Davis, 45, from Salem and his passenger Michael Harm, 47, also from Salem, were not injured.

All persons were wearing seatbelts, but no helmets were worn.

source :
1 dead, 2 hurt in ATV accident at Sand Lake Recreation Area