Bend man dies after Hwy. 126 rear-end crash OSP: Distracted driving 'considered a factor'

A Bend man was fatally injured and several other people also were hurt in a rear-end crash on Highway 126 east of Sisters on Christmas Day, Oregon State Police reported Wednesday. Troopers said distracted driving is considered a contributing factor to the crash.

OSP troopers and emergency personnel responded around 1:15 p.m. Tuesday to the reported crash on Highway 126 at Cloverdale Road, just east of Sisters, OSP Sgt. Michael Berland said.

A preliminary investigation found that a blue 2013 Chevy Equinox driven by David Jackson, 58, of Bend, was slowing down and preparing to make a left turn when it was rear-ended by a maroon 2001 GMC Yukon driven by Andria Mengucci, 40, a female Madras resident.

Jackson was pronounced dead at St. Charles Bend shortly after 5 p.m. Tuesday due to injuries from the crash, Berland said.

Four passengers in each vehicle were taken to the hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries, the sergeant said. One minor child in Mengucci’s SUV was unrestrained and sustained minor injuries, he added. Mengucci was uninjured in the crash.

“Distracted driving is considered to be a contributing factor in this crash,” Berland wrote, not offering specifics but adding that the investigation is continuing and further inquiries could be directed to the Deschutes County District Attorney’s Office.

Highway 126 was closed for about two hours after the crash. OSP was assisted on the scene by ODOT, Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office and the fire departments of Redmond, Cloverdale, Sisters-Camp Sherman and Black Butte Ranch.