WALTERVILLE: A Saturday afternoon accident on the McKenzie Highway has left 16-year-old Teagan Merritt, a Thurston High School student and standout athlete, in critical condition and fighting for her life.
The collision occurred around 1:30 p.m. on November 15, when Merritt was asleep in the back seat of a 2014 Ford Focus driven by her friend, Shyla Flores. According to Merritt’s family, Flores had slowed to make a left turn into the Merritt’s driveway at 39830 Hwy. 126 and was legally stopped with her blinker on, waiting for traffic to clear.
According to Captain Kyle Kennedy of the Oregon State Police, “an eastbound Dodge Ram pickup failed to stop for the Ford that was waiting to make a left hand turn. The Dodge “rear ended” the Ford causing significant damage and injury to both occupants.” At press time, Kennedy said no further information is being released while the investigation is ongoing…