Gold Beach woman dies in fatal crash that closed Highway 126 west of Walton
A Gold Beach woman was killed in a head-on, two-vehicle crash on Highway 126 west of Walton Sunday afternoon, according to Oregon State Police.
The deceased driver was identified Monday as June Michele Lemke, 47, who was driving a white Toyota Prius.
OSP responded at about 5:49 p.m. to the crash near milepost 28, 5 miles west of Walton, according to the police news release. Investigation found that a 24-year-old Florence woman, driving eastbound in a Hyundai Santa Fe, crossed into the oncoming lane "for an unknown reason" and collided head-on with Lemke's Prius, OSP said.
Lemke sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced dead upon emergency personnel arrival, while the other driver was transported to a local hospital for injuries.
Both lanes of Highway 126 were closed until about midnight Sunday, while Oregon State Police Collision Reconstruction Unit completed an investigation into the crash. OSP was assisted by Lane County Sheriff Office and Oregon Department of Transportation in the response.
According to dispatch logs, the Lane Fire Authority was called at 5:45 p.m. Sunday to milepost 28 on the Florence-Eugene Highway because of the accident.
Managing editor Michelle Maxwell contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Gold Beach woman dies in fatal crash on Highway 126 Sunday
