For the second time in two days, the Benton County Sheriff’s Department has reported a fatal head-on collision between two vehicles.

At approximately 12 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 30, a dodge pickup truck traveling east on West Hills Road near Philomath crossed the center line for unknown reasons and collided head on with a Toyota 4Runner travelling west. This report is based on witness statements and evidence at the site of the collision.

When police and first responders arrived on the scene, the driver of the pickup truck, Anderson McDonough, was already deceased. The two occupants of the Toyota 4Runner, Suzan Free and Natalie Free, however, were transported to the Samaritan hospital with non-life threatening injuries. While Natalie is reportedly uninjured, Suzan has sustained serious injuries.

As the second fatal collision in two days, this comes just one day after a previous similar head-on collision along Highway 20. 

On Oct. 29, an Acura was traveling east-bound when it crossed the centerline into oncoming traffic. The Acura crashed into a Ford traveling west and the driver of the Acura, Independence resident Keith Lee, was pronounced dead on the scene. The driver of the Ford, Gerald MacGregor, was taken to the Good Samaritan hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Anyone with further information about either collision is encouraged to call Brian Lundy at the Corvallis Police Department at 541-766-6858. Police urge residents to drive safe, sober, and not distracted, as stated in the Oct. 30 police report.