Hwy. 101 Fatal North Coast, July 22

Oregon State Police (OSP) is continuing the investigation into the cause of a fatal traffic crash found Sunday evening by a hitchhiker along Highway 101 about one mile north of Cannon Beach. The vehicle was spotted approximately 40 feet down a heavily wooded embankment where the passenger was deceased and the driver injured. On July 20, 2014 at approximately 8:30 p.m., OSP and local emergency responders were notified that a male hitchhiker spotted a crashed vehicle after hearing cries for help from down an embankment along Highway 101 near milepost 28. Cannon Beach Police Department and Cannon Beach Fire & Rescue arrived first and confirmed one person was deceased and another with serious injuries. Preliminary investigation indicates a 2004 Chevrolet four-door driven by GABRIELA RAYON, age 21, from Vancouver, Washington, was traveling southbound on Highway 101 with a passenger identified as RUTH A. DELGADO, age 23, from Los Angeles, California. For an unconfirmed reason, the car left the roadway down the embankment where the passenger side struck a tree. The car then came to rest on the ground in heavy brush amongst the trees and was not visible from the roadway. It appears the crash occurred at least 12 hours before the vehicle was spotted by the hitchhiker. DELGADO was pronounced deceased at the scene. RAYON was seriously injured and transported initially by Medix Ambulance Service to Columbia Memorial Hospital in Astoria. She was later transferred to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center in Portland where she is listed in fair condition. Both occupants were using safety restraints.