Just before 4:00pm Wednesday, August 21, the Illinois Valley Fire District, Josephine County Sheriff’s Office, and American Medical Response responded to a single vehicle crash on Hwy. 199.
A vehicle northbound left the roadway on the southbound side for unknown reasons about a mile inside Oregon border.
The Illinois Valley Fire District Firefighters used an airbag operated with a cylinder of compressed air to lift the car which enabled the driver side doors to be opened. The female driver and one infant were transported in the first American Medical Response ambulance to Asante Three Rivers Medical Center. The second ambulance transported two preschoolers to the same hospital. Both ambulances were transporting code one.
Hwy. 199 was blocked for approximately 15 minutes while the patients were being loaded into the first ambulance. After that Illinois Valley Fire District CERT established one alternating lane of traffic. Hwy. 199 was fully reopened at approximately 5.15pm. The cause of the crash is under investigation by Oregon State Police.
