Deadly Crash Details Released
Florence Police have released more details about the fatal crash early Friday morning on Rhododendron Drive. At approximately 12:44 a.m., an officer on Kingwood Street saw a dark-colored Ford Mustang accelerate at a high rate of speed after turning west onto Rhododendron. The officer obtained a radar reading of more than 100 miles per hour before losing sight of the vehicle near Greenwood Street. Moments later, a 911 crash alert came in from the area of Ninth Street. Officers located the wrecked Mustang down an embankment, hidden from view. The driver, 19-year-old Jordan Albin of Florence, was pronounced dead at the scene. A male passenger and a female juvenile were rescued by Western Lane Fire and EMS and taken to Peace Harbor Hospital with injuries. Oregon State Police assisted in the investigation.
Deputies Arrest Man With Warrant
A Lane County Sheriff’s deputy discovered a suspicious pickup late Thursday night on Herman Cape Road north of Florence. The driver, 41-year-old Tyler Ashton Leavitt of Indiana, was wanted on multiple warrants including disarming and resisting law enforcement. When deputies tried to arrest him, Leavitt rammed a patrol car and sped toward a deputy, who narrowly escaped injury. A second deputy fired but missed. Leavitt led deputies on a chase, crashing through a locked gate before being stopped by a pursuit intervention technique. He was arrested and booked into the Lane County Jail on several charges, including assault on a public safety officer and eluding police.
Cold and Flu
It is cold and flu season and medical professionals are recommending that individuals, especially those with other health issues get the flu vaccine. Nathan Collins is a physician assistant with Oregon Medical Group.
“one of the best things to do is get our flu vaccine every year, not only can it help prevent us from becoming an infection in us but if we do become infected it is much less severe.”
Collins says that while the vaccine is created to ward off some of the most common flu viruses, it is still important to follow best practices to help prevent a flu outbreak like hand washing
“and it sounds silly, but the recommendation is that you sing the ABC’s twice while you are washing your hands, that means usually by that time you have gotten enough of the virus off your hands.”
According to the Oregon Health Authority’s latest numbers the flu virus has not yet begun to disseminate through the state with just 7 total cases reported statewide.