Driver seriously injured when truck crashes into ravine

SILVERTON, Ore. - A pickup crashed airborne into a ravine, hitting a high voltage power power and a tree before coming to rest in a crumpled mess next to a creek, the Marion County Sheriff's Office said.

Firefighters worked for 2 hours to pull the driver from the wreckage. Once freed by rescue workers, Mark A. McKellar, 51, of Salem was taken by air ambulance to Salem Hospital with serious injuries.

Investigators said excessive speed for the conditions was a contributing factor in this crash.  It was still dark at the time of the crash with fog and mist dampening the roadway.

Witnesses reported that McKellar was northbound in a 2002 Chevy Avalanche on Cascade Highway NE at 55 mph when he suddenly stopped in the roadway, causing others drivers to stop.

McKellar then rapidly accelerated. As the truck crested a rise in the road, he missed a right hand turn in the road. The truck hit the power line and then the tree before falling to the ground. Investigators believe the truck hit the tree 8 feet above the ground.