On January 8, 2018, at approximately 5:20 pm, OSP Troopers from the Springfield Area Command and Florence Worksite responded to a vehicle vs. pedestrian fatal crash on Hwy 101 near milepost 191. The preliminary investigation revealed 28 year old Heather Marie Sanford (from Eugene) was walking in the travel portion of the southbound lane of Hwy 101 when she was struck by a southbound 2017 GMC Sierra pickup. Sanford suffered fatal injuries and was declared deceased at the scene by medical personnel. Sanford was wearing dark clothing at the time and had been reported by other passing motorists as a hazard immediately prior to the incident. The GMC was occupied by the driver William Arthur Brown (age 70 from Florence). Brown is cooperating with the investigation and is not suspected of any wrong doing. Hwy 101 was reduced to one lane travel for approximately two hours while OSP Troopers conducted the investigation.
