Linn County Undersheriff Paul Timm reports early this morning around 12:23 a.m., his deputies responded to a fatal motor vehicle crash on Crescent Hill Road near the intersection of Highway 228.
The driver, a 17-year-old male, from Sweet Home, was traveling downhill, northbound in a 1996 blue Ford Explorer when he lost control of the vehicle and ended up in the oncoming shoulder. The driver then overcorrected, causing the vehicle to slide and roll down an embankment approximately 85 feet from the roadway.
The passenger in the vehicle, Kolby Keenon, 18, from Sweet Home was not wearing his seatbelt and was ejected from the vehicle. He was pronounced deceased on scene by medics. Keenon’s family was notified of his death. The juvenile driver, who was wearing a seatbelt, sustained minor injuries and was transported to Lebanon Community Hospital for treatment.
Deputies are still investigating, but speed and alcohol appear to be factors in the crash.
The Multi-Agency Investigation Team (MAIT) was called out to assist with the investigation. Deputies were also assisted by the Sweet Home Fire Department, Albany Police Department and the Sweet Home Funeral Chapel.