Life Flight Evacuates Pedestrian Struck by Vehicle in McMinnville

A person in a wheelchair was struck while in a crosswalk.

Salem-News.com

(MCMINNVILLE, Ore.) - Traffic in the city of McMinnville came to a stop today after a vehicle versus pedestrian crash that happened at 2:45 PM on Highway 99W at McDaniel Lane.

Officer Steve McCartney with McMinnville Police says the unfortunate crash involved a man in a wheelchair being struck by a Chevrolet pick-up. The man who was struck is 70-year old James Edward Jones of McMinnville, McCartney said.

"Highway 99 runs east and west here, Mr. Jones was crossing from the NW corner to SW corner and was headed for the Bank of America. He was in the crosswalk in his wheelchair with a walk signal."

87-year old Larry Everett Pekkola of Carlton was driving the vehicle that struck Mr. Jones. Mr Pekkola was northbound on McDaniel Lane making left turn when his vehicle impacted the wheelchair in the inside lane of travel. McCartney said he was ejected from the chair and received serious head injuries.

Life Flight was called to the scene to transport James Jones to OHSU for medical treatment, McCartney said.

He says the investigation is still pending, and no citations have been issued at this point. He said there were no indications of alcohol. The weather at the time of the impact was fairly clear with a high overcast.

McCartney says he hopes people learn some type of traffic safety from tragic stories like this, "It should be a learning lesson, driving is an active endeavor, we always need to scan around our vehicles and look for hazards and people and any number of things that can come up."