On Thursday, January 11, 2024, at 5:14 p.m., Oregon State Police responded to a two-vehicle crash on Hwy 101, near milepost 163, in Lincoln County. The preliminary investigation indicated an ambulance, operated by Casey Rainey Wittmier, was responding to a call with emergency lights activated when it attempted to turn southbound onto Hwy 101 from a driveway. A northbound Kia Soul, operated by Kelsey Rose Seibel (25) of Waldport, collided with the driver’s side of the ambulance. The operator of the Kia (Seibel) was declared deceased at the scene. A passenger in the Kia, a juvenile male (16), suffered critical injuries and was transported to a local hospital. Neither occupant of the Kia was properly restrained and airbags failed to deploy. The ambulance operator (Wittmier) and passenger, Osmo Kalevi Larmi III (45) of Newberg, were not injured. There was no patient in the ambulance at the time of the collision. The highway was impacted for approximately 5 hours during the on-scene investigation. The cause of the crash is still under investigation. OSP was assisted by the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, Yachats Fire, Central Coast Fire and Rescue, Life Flight, and ODOT.
