Two mid-valley residents were killed in separate Highway 34 accidents west of Lebanon over the weekend, according to the Oregon State Police.
In the first incident, reported shortly before 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 29, 43-year-old David Weis of Albany was traveling southbound in a Ford Escort when, at the intersection of Highway 34 and Seven Mile Lane, he was struck by 32-year-old Lebanon resident Joshua Kumpe in a Dodge Sprint van.
Weis sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. His passenger, 36-year-old Kristina Boswell, 36, of Sweet Home, was transported to an area hospital with injuries. Kumpe was not hurt in the crash.
The Oregon State Police were assisted by the Lebanon Fire Department and Oregon Department of Transportation.
The second accident occurred around 7:42 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 30. OSP troopers and emergency personnel responded to a highway crash involving a pedestrian near milepost 16 west of Denny School Road.
A preliminary investigation revealed that 71-year-old Lanny R. Aerni, of Lebanon, was reportedly collecting debris from the roadway when he was struck and killed by a westbound white Chevrolet Astro Van driven by 22-year-old Colby D. Montague of Sweet Home.
No further information was immediately available.
The Linn County Sheriff’s Office and ODOT assisted at the scene.