BEAVERTON, Ore. (KOIN) — A wrong-way driver hit another car head-on along Hwy 26 near Murray Boulevard early Wednesday morning, leaving one person dead.
A total of 4 people in 2 cars were involved in the crash. Both drivers reportedly had blood alcohol levels over the legal limit, according to Beaverton Police Department.
Armando Gallegos, 50, was driving the wrong way in a red pickup truck. He was seriously injured.
Witnesses reportedly saw Gallegos speeding before hitting a silver Honda Civic with 3 people inside. Brandon Wendell, from Sherwood, was in the front passenger seat at the time of the crash. The 21-year-old was pronounced dead on the scene.
The 20-year-old man driving the car and a 17-year-old girl who was sitting in the backseat were hospitalized with serious injuries, according to police.
On May 6, Gallegos was arrested and is being held in the Washington County jail on counts of manslaughter, assault, reckless driving and DUII.Close call puts life in perspective
Deborah Powers was driving her husband Michael to Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital when they saw headlights coming at them.
“We crested over the top of Sylvan Hill,” Deborah said. “We saw him coming at us.”
The pickup was in the far left lane and Deborah was in the center lane. She was able to pull over and get out of the way, but they were both scared.
“It was scary seeing that car come around the corner and come that close to us,” Michael said. “A fear went over [me]… [I] had no control… it was a matter of seconds.”
Deborah said she was driving 50 mph. The wrong-way driver was going much faster.
“He came barreling at us,” she said.
The crash happened just minutes after the couple called 911. In the aftermath of the tragedy, they reflected on what they have and what Wendall’s family lost.
“You just don’t take anything for granted,” Deborah said. “What a tremendous loss of life and what would that have meant to our 4 children and to our grandchild if we had been in their place. Your heart goes out not just to the victims… but their families.”Wrong-way crashes happen more often than you might think
Oregon Department of Transportation spokesman Don Hamilton says wrong-way crashes are “one of the scariest things you can see on the road.”
There are some key things you can do if a wrong-way driver is heading your way.
“In the split second time that these things can happen, the best thing is just to get out of the way the best you can to avoid that car coming in the other direction,” Hamilton said. “It’s not easy to do… sometimes that means driving off the road completely.”
According to the National Transportation Safety Board, 69% of fatal wrong-way crashes may involve alcohol. A third of those crashes happen between 12 a.m.-3 a.m.
“This isn’t about distracted driving, which is a big problem too,” Hamilton said. “It’s about impaired driving. That’s the biggest factor going on in these [crashes].”
Brent Weisberg, Amy Frazier and Andrew Dymburt contributed to this report.