A Madras man suffered a medical emergency while driving in Sisters Thursday, crashing his pickup into a light pole and tree, according to the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office.
The incident happened just before 9 a.m. when a 2011 Chevy pickup pulling a 21-foot toy hauler trailer left the road near East Cascade Avenue and North Larch Street.
The truck hit a light pole, went into a gravel drainage ditch and then hit a large tree, said Sgt. Jayson Janes.
A DCSO School Resource Officer was first on the scene and realized the driver, a 58-year-old man, wasn’t breathing. Another deputy arrived soon after and together they removed the driver from th truck.
The deputies then began performing CPR on the man and were joined moments later by an off-duty paramedic from the Black Butte Ranch Fire Department and an off-duty nurse.
Working together, they continued CPR on the driver and used an AED (Automated External Defibrillator) until medics from the Sisters-Camp Sherman Rural Fire Protection District arrived and took over lifesaving efforts.
The driver, who authorities did not identify, was taken to St. Charles in Bend.
Deputies interviewed two passengers in the truck, a 27-year-old man from Bend and a 56-year-old woman from Madras.
The investigation determined the man was driving westbound on Highway 20 and entered Sisters.
The man is believed to have experienced a sudden medical emergency and became unconscious.
The passengers tried to regain control of the truck, but were unable to do so. The two passengers were also taken to St. Charles in Bend with non-life-threatening injuries.
