Eagle Point driver
dies
in crash
Source: Mail
Tribune Online Edition
Author: Anita Burke
Date: October 24, 2002
EAGLE
POINT An Eagle Point teenager died near here when
he crashed his car into a ditch Wednesday evening.
A
16-year-old girl riding in the car escaped without
serious injuries.
Thomas
Ussary, 18, was driving south on Rogue River Drive when
he lost control of his Toyota MR2 on a slight curve, said
Jackson County sheriffs deputy Glenn Ford.
The
car spun around and hit a ditch, where it flew into the
air and landed on its wheels. The car continued to skid
until it struck another ditch and was launched airborne
across Capri Drive. It landed with extreme force on the
drivers side on a grassy embankment, then tipped
back onto its wheels, officials said.
Excessive
speed was a factor in the accident, Ford said.
The
cars spoiler, rearview mirror, lights, and
shattered glass littered the ditches. Passing cars
crunched through gravel scattered across the pavement.
Frank
and Lily Bell, who live near the intersection of Rogue
River Drive and Capri Drive, heard the crash at 7:37 p.m.
and rushed onto their porch.
"I
heard the tires bark and saw the headlights go like
this," Frank Bell said, making a tilting, sweeping
motion with his arm.
"I
grabbed the phone as I came out," said Lily Bell,
who dialed 911.
The
passenger climbed out the smashed windshield and ran
toward the Bells home, the couple said. A Mercy
Flights ambulance later took her to Rogue Valley Medical
Center. She was treated and released. Police didnt
release her name.
The
Bells said they have seen three fatal accidents in the
six years they have lived on Rogue River Drive and
numerous other crashes.
"We
have people go by here 70 to 100 miles per hour all the
time," Frank Bell said.
The
pavements abrupt edges along Rogue River Drive can
catch the tires of drivers hitting the roads slight
curve too fast and yank the car out of control, he said.
Deputies
said they didnt know if alcohol was a factor in the
crash. An investigation into the accident will continue
today.
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