The head-on crash that killed two teenagers, critically injured a third and hurt a state trooper Sunday afternoon on Highway 101 near Coos Bay may have been caused by a race between two vehicles, officials said Monday.
Coos County District Attorney Paul Frasier also identified the two teens who died. They were 19-year-old Fernando Kent Medina Betancourt, who was driving, and 18-year-old Austin Larson, both of Coos Bay.
A previous release from Frasier incorrectly stated that both men were 18.
On Sunday around 1:30 p.m., Betancourt was driving southbound in a Mitsubishi on Highway 100 near milepost 241 and drifted into the northbound lanes. Witnesses told investigators that the vehicle appeared to be speeding and lost control while attempting to negotiate a turn, Frasier said.
He crashed head-on with an Oregon State Police pickup truck driven by Trooper Brian Koell, who was on duty working as part of the Fish and Game Division. He sustained minor injuries and was released from the hospital on Sunday.
Both Betancourt and Larson died at the scene, Frasier said. A third teen, who was riding in the back seat of the Mitsubishi, was identified Monday as 16-year-old Haylee Hayden of North Bend. She was seriously injured and remained in critical condition at River Bend Hospital in Eugene.
On Monday, Frasier said that it appeared that Betancourt may have been racing another vehicle just prior to the crash. Witness statements and video evidence indicate another car, likely a dark-colored Honda Civic or Accord, was traveling next to or slightly ahead of the Mitsubishi at the time of the crash.
“The investigators would very much like to speak with anyone who may have witnessed the Mitsubishi while it was on Highway 101 prior to the crash,” Frasier said in a news release.
Anyone with information about the crash was asked to contact the Coos County Sheriff’S Office.
— Kale Williams
kwilliams@oregonian.com
503-294-4048
@sfkale
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