November 7, 2015 at about 2PM, OSP Troopers and emergency personnel responded to the report of a head-on crash on Highway 101 near milepost 217 (4 miles south of Reedsport). Investigation has revealed a 2002 Mercury Mountaineer was traveling northbound on Highway 101 when it crossed over the centerline and into the path of a southbound 2000 Chevy Silverado. The vehicles collided head-on and came to rest in the roadway. The driver of the Mercury, Julie F BOWEN, age 32, of Reedsport was taken to Lower Umpqua Hospital in Reedsport. All three occupants of the Chevy were also taken to Lower Umpqua Hospital. Heather M WALSETH, age 40, of Evans, WA, who had been a front center passenger in the Chevy, died from her injuries at Lower Umpqua Hospital. The driver of the Chevy, Kelly D DENNISON, female, age 43, of Buckley, WA, was treated and released from Lower Umpqua Hospital. BOWEN and the front right passenger of the Chevy, Donald M DENNISON, age 67, of Mt Angel, Oregon, were transferred to Sacred Heart Riverbend in Springfield. Both directions of Highway 101 were blocked for over four hours (detour was established by the Oregon Department of Transportation).
