McMinnville man killed in Highway 18 crash

10-year-old girl injured

Dan Belderrain/McMinnville Fire Department
Investigation and clean up of a Tuesday night crash on Highway 18 involving a fatality had the road closed for nearly seven hours. About 10 p.m., a 2000 Chevrolet Cavalier, shown here, drifted over the centerline and collided head-on with a semi truck.

Mar 19, 2013 | 3 Comments

The News-Register staff

A 30-year-old McMinnville man was killed about 9:40 p.m. Tuesday in a two-vehicle crash about two miles east of McMinnville on Highway 18 near its intersection with Lafayette Highway.

Sgt. Brad Hessel of the Oregon State Police McMinnville office identified the victim as Charles Salinas of 1834 N.W. Wallace Road. Hessel gave this account:

Salinas was driving a 2000 Chevrolet Cavalier westbound when, for an unknown reason, it crossed the centerline and collided head-on with a 2005 Freightliner tractor pulling two trailers and driven by Dale Boekhoff, 44, of 517 N.W. Blair St., Sheridan. He was driving for CRC Transport Inc. of Salem.

A passenger in the car, Araceli Salinas, 10, of the Wallace Road address, sustained serious injuries and was transported by McMinnville Fire Department ambulance to the Willamette Valley Medical Center. She was reported in stable condition this morning.

Boekhoff was taken by ambulance to the hospital where he was treated and released.

It's unknown if either of the Chevrolet's occupants were wearing seat belts. Boekhoff was not belted in.

The tractor-trailer's fuel tanks both leaked diesel fuel, requiring cleanup coordinated by the Oregon Department of Transportation and Northwest Firefighters HazMat personnel.

Highway 18 was reopened in both directions about 4:45 this morning, following the investigation and cleanup of the scene.

OSP was assisted at the scene by the McMinnville Police Department and Yamhill County Sheriff's Office.