Senior driving, icy roads in Oregon, and the 'rest of the story'

Carol Forsloff - On Friday morning,  according to an Oregon State Police report, at 7:15 AM, a single vehicle ice related crash occurred on US Highway 97 approximately four miles south of Crescent, in Klamath County.  Many areas in Oregon continue to have ice and snow causing accidents, but here's the rest of the story.

[caption id="attachment_3599" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Icy roads cause Oregon accident"][/caption]

This accident story has a happy ending for Dale Emerson Callen, 74, from Bend, and his wife, Anna Laurine Callen, which is the most significant part and 'the rest of the story.'  They were both wearing seatbelts when their pickup and trailer jack-knified, then became separated with the pickup coming to rest upside down in a ditch.  The trailer also made it into the ditch after crossing the southbound lane.  Both only received minor injuries, according to Senior Trooper Joseph Smith, who was the state patrol officer on the scene.

The pickup was totaled and the trailer had minor damage, the southbound lane of traffic in the area closed for 1  1/2 hours, but the lives saved because of seat belts is an important part of this story.

This may be an isolated story on a road in Oregon, however the news is one police say needs to be given from time to time as a reminder about safety when driving.  As one source related in 2007,  "It’s a fact that seatbelts save lives.  Wearing your seatbelt is the single most effective way to reduce the chance of injury or death in motor vehicle collisions."