Harney County, Ore. – On the night of Thursday, November 17th, emergency responders were dispatched to a crash on Highway 78, roughly 18 miles east of Burns.
According to Oregon State Police, when crews arrived they found the driver, identified as a 15-year-old boy, dead at the scene. A 14-year-old male passenger was hospitalized with critical injuries. The boy’s 10-year-old brother, who was also in the vehicle at the time of the crash, was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
All three boys were identified by police as residents of Burns.
Police said an investigation revealed the 1995 Nissan pickup drifted off the shoulder and the driver over-corrected, causing the vehicle to roll over several times. The boys inside were not wearing their seatbelts and they were all ejected from the pickup.
Troopers said it appears the boys did not have permission to drive the vehicle. Distracted driving is being investigated as a possible contributing factor.
OSP will release more information when it becomes available.
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