Springfield girl, 5, killed in head-on RV crash
CRESWELL, Ore. - Officers say two people died in a head-on traffic collision on Interstate 5 near Creswell late Wednesday.
The crash happened at about 8:50 p.m. at milepost 182, about 13 miles south of Eugene.
The preliminary investigation shows that a motorhome driven by 41-year-old Stephen Whitaker of Cottage Grove was traveling northbound on I-5 when, for an unknown reason, the driver lost control, crossed the center median, and struck a southbound Oldsmobile Alero head-on.
A passenger in the motorhome was flown by LifeFlight to a Bend hospital and was later pronounced dead. His name has not yet been released pending notification of next of kin. Whitaker was transported to a hospital as well for treatment of non life-threatening injuries.
A 5-year-old girl, identified as Kailee Coontz, was killed in the crash. She was a passenger in the car and had been properly seated in a booster seat with a seat belt on as well. Her parents, 35-year-old Cathleen Coontz and 35-year-old Brian Coontz, survived with minor injuries. Both had been wearing their seatbelts. The family is from Springfield.
Both southbound lanes of I-5 were closed for 45 minutes while emergency crews worked at the scene. The left lane was re-opened prior to 10 p.m. while the right southbound lane remained closed until troopers with the Oregon State Police Collision Reconstruction Unit completed their investigation.
