Oakridge aches: 'A head-on collision at the only stoplight in town'
OAKRIDGE, Ore. - Ed Spalinger never expected his mom's routine trip to a Monday bowling game would be her very last drive in their family's cherished 1965 Thunderbird.
Virginia Spalinger, 91, died at Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend after a head-on collision with a police car in Oakridge shortly before 4 p.m. Monday.
"It's shocking to know that in a small community like Oakridge, something like this would happen, you know? A head-on collision at the only stoplight in town," said Ed Spalinger.
The community of Oakridge is reeling from the tragedy: both Spalinger, a former Oakridge High School music teacher, and Officer Daniel Miller, 27, are longtime residents.
Oregon State Police believe Officer Miller was trying to pull over a speeding driver when his car and Spalinger's Thunderbird collided on Highway 58 near Crestview Street in Oakridge.
"I just thought it would be a fender bender at the most," Ed Spalinger said, "but when we arrived on the scene, it was horrible."
Miller was also take to RiverBend. As of Tuesday afternoon, he was listed in critical but stable condition.
"The car was wrapped around him, so it was disturbing," said Oakridge High School Principal Don Kordosky.
Kordosky rushed to the crash after a call from his wife revealed his longtime friend was seriously hurt.
"He's a great guy. The kindest guy you'll ever meet in your life. Completely committed to the police department and to Oakridge," said Kordosky.
Not only is Miller a resource officer for the high school, but he's also a graduate.
The Oakridge native became a cadet and dispatcher for the police department. He later joined the Air Force before returning to become a full-time patrol officer. He's been on the force for just more than a year.
"It's like family. It affected me like anyone else ... any other family member," said Louis Gomez, Oakridge's police chief.
Gomez said his officers will go through counseling Tuesday night, allowing them to voice their grief, as one of their own lies in a hospital bed.
Meanwhile, Ed Spalinger will seek comfort through cherished photos and the support from his wife while waiting for authorities to piece together what went terribly wrong and claimed his mother's life.
Both Oregon State Police and Oakridge Police are conducting the investigation. They said Miller was driving with his lights and sirens on while trying to pull over the speeder, but they are not saying how fast Miller was driving.
The intersection where the crash happened is a 35 mph zone.
Spalinger's son said his mom drove her car twice a week, did not have any vision or hearing problems and just had her license renewed last year.
"She needed her independence and that was part of her independence," said Ed Spalinger. "You have to let people have their independence no matter what their age is -- if they can get around. That's what she did and she enjoyed it."
