Three people were injured after a two-vehicle accident during which one vehicle landed on top of the other in an irrigation ditch along Highway 97 north of Klamath Falls.
Two vehicles slid into an irrigation ditch after a collision on Hwy. 97 north of Klamath Falls, Ore on Dec. 11, 2013
Photo: Oregon State Police
Shortly after 1 p.m. Wednesday afternoon, Howard Kingman, 70, of Sisters, was operating a Chevrolet Tahoe northbound on Highway 97 and attempted to pass a Toyota Prius, operated by Robert Burton, 56.
Kingman lost control of the Tahoe on the icy highway and crashed into the Prius, leading both vehicles to slide off the roadway and down an embankment. After sliding down the embankment, the vehicles came to rest in an irrigation canal, with the Prius covered by the Tahoe.
In the process of sliding into the irrigation ditch, the vehicles both broke through the ice and the Prius was mostly submerged under water.
Kingman was not injured, and Oregon State Police cited him on a charge of careless driving. Burton and his passengers, Bree Burton, 20, and her 2-month-old son were taken by ambulance to Sky Lakes Medical Center in Klamath Falls for treatment of minor injuries. The occupants of the Prius are all from Chelan, Wash.