CORVALLIS, Ore. (KOIN) — Three young adults were seriously hurt and a fourth suffered minor injuries after the minivan they were in smashed into a tree near Corvallis.
Nicole Altheide was driving west on Highway 20 shortly before 5 a.m. Friday when she drove off the road near Conifer Boulevard and hit the tree, officials with the Benton County Sheriff’s Office said.
The Toyota Sonata ended up on its roof in the yard of a nearby residence. All four people managed to get themselves out of the van, officials said, and all were taken by ambulance to a local hospital.
The 21-year-old driver from Portland was seriously hurt, as were her passengers Laura Gorzynski and Aaron Byers, both 21 and from Corvallis. Samuel Van Dyke, 22 from Philomath, had minor injuries.
The cause of the crash is under investigation, but authorities said alcohol and drugs may have been a factor.