Police Release Name of Victim
Oregon State Police has released their preliminary report on the ATV accident which resulted in the death of a Florence woman. The report states that the OSP responded to a call to Mapleton Valley Fire Department of a woman, seriously injured, being transported by a friend in a personal vehicle. Upon arriving at the fire department, OSP personnel administered CPR for approximately 45 minutes as she was being transported to Peace Harbor hospital. The initial report states that OSP was told that 26 year old Sara M. Smith was the driver and sole occupant of an ATV which crashed for an unknown reason. Oregon State Police are currently gathering more information and are still unable to determine the cause or location of the crash. Members of the Western Lane Ambulance District who were responsible for transporting the victim send their condolences and sympathy to the family. Facebook posts were immediately responsive and public support for Smith was gathered quickly even though her name was not publicly released. A gofundme page was established and within 22 hours they had exceeded their initial goal of $5000.00 and have raised almost $7500.00
Woman Seriously Injured in Fall
A 20 year old Dexter woman was injured after she fell about 30 feet off the rock slides at triangle lake on Monday evening. The Lane County Sheriff’s department along with the Lane County Fire Authority and the Lane County Water Search, Rescue Volunteers and Eugene Mountain Rescue Volunteers responded. A raft had to be attached to a “high-line” system over swiftly moving waters to reach the injured woman. According to witnesses the woman hit a series of rock ledges on the way down and then landed in the water. A bystander was the first to reach her and pull her from the water. She was Life-Flighted with ‘significant’ injuries. Sargent Carrie Carver with the Lane County Sheriff’s office says that in addition to the danger of climbing are the water temperatures:
“Something to consider, even when you are out on a boat and thinking that you are going to be staying dry, if something ends up happening and you end up going overboard it takes a couple of seconds to catch your breath as you hit that icy water sometimes.”
Carver also says remember to wear a properly fit life jacket and beware of the slippery nature of the rocks.
“There are some areas that are going to be covered with algae and moss certain times of the year and then the rocks are going to be bare other times of the year.”
Carver says just remember to keep safety your first concern.
Late Summer Eclipse
It looks like campgrounds in the path of the upcoming Eclipse are filled to capacity. In fact the Oregon State Parks Foundation even took the opportunity to raise some money. They auctioned off 30 spots in the direct path of the event and managed to raise about 60 thousand dollars for their efforts. Starting from Waldport to Pacific city on the coast watchers will be able to view the event which will last only about 2 and a half minutes at the center of the path…weather permitting. But if you have friends or family that want to visit to view, they will likely have to get accommodations elsewhere. Here in Florence the River House Inn and Old Town Inn proprietor Craig Sanders says they have allotted rooms specifically for the Eclipse and are requiring a minimum 3 day reservation. Several of the rooms have already been booked, but Sanders says there are still plenty of rooms available. But he expects them to fill up. The Eclipse will touch down on the Oregon coast at 10:15 am on the morning of August 21st.
Town Hall for Senator Wyden
Senator Ron Wyden will be holding a town hall meeting here in Florence at the Florence Event Center. The meeting will be Sunday May 28th, at 11am. His office says he will be talking “Russian interference, taxes, and health care” and will of course be fielding questions.
