May 15--Oregon State Police are continuing the investigation into a Saturday crash that injured a Clatsop County Sheriff's Office deputy.
Authorities said that at 8:50 p.m. Saturday, the deputy, whose name has not been released, stopped to help a motorist that needed assistance on the northbound shoulder of Youngs Bay Bridge on Highway 101. The area of the highway, which is south of Astoria, is flat and without street lights.
A Warrenton Police Department officer then arrived to assist by briefly blocking northbound traffic as the deputy, with a flashlight in hand, stepped to the middle of the highway to stop southbound traffic.
That's when the deputy was struck by a southbound Jeep Cherokee, driven by Julie Gifford, 46 and of Warrenton. Gifford immediately stopped the car and cooperated with state police troopers. Investigators said alcohol and drugs had no involvement in the crash.
The deputy was taken by ambulance to Columbia Memorial Hospital in Astoria, and was later transferred to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center in Portland for further treatment. His condition was not immediately known, but authorities said the deputy's injuries were serious but not life-threatening.
Highway 101 was closed for more than three hours Saturday for the investigation.
State police troopers were assisted at the scene by the Clatsop County Sheriff's Office, Warrenton Police Department, Astoria Police Department, Oregon Department of Transportation and fire departments from Warrenton and Astoria.
-- Molly Hottle; Twitter: @nwpdxreporter
