Highway 18 crash claims two lives, including McMinnville resident

Oregon State Police photo##Two people, including a McMinnville man, were killed in a two-vehicle crash Wednesday night east of Sheridan on Highway 18 at the entrance to the Dairy Queen.

SHERIDAN – Two people were killed Wednesday night in a two-vehicle crash just east of Sheridan on Highway 18 at the entrance to the Dairy Queen.

The Oregon State Police identified the victims as Claudia Barclay, 49, of Eugene, and Ralph Robert Lehn, 35, of McMinnville. They were pronounced dead at the scene. Lehn was ejected from the vehicle in which he was riding, according to Sgt. Brad Hessel of the OSP McMinnville office.

OSP gave this account of the 7:30 p.m. crash:

Evan Anderson, 27, of Willamina, was driving a 1995 Honda Civic westbound and when he turned into the DQ entrance, directly in front of an eastbound 1994 Honda Accord operated by Kyra Ann Loucks, 32, of Sheridan.

“For whatever reason, he turned into the path of that oncoming car,” Hessel said.

Barclay and Lehn were backseat passengers in Anderson’s car. He and front seat passenger, Jeramiah Villarreal, 34, of McMinnville, were transported by Sheridan/Southwest Polk/West Valley Fire District ambulance to Salem Hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.

Loucks was not seriously injured. “I think she had some scrapes, bumps and bruises, and was probably pretty shook up,” Hessel said.

Highway 18 was closed for five hours as the Yamhill County Multi-Agency Traffic Team investigated the crash and the scene was cleared.

Hessel said it’s too early in the investigation process to say if citations will be issued.

“Bridget (Senior Trooper and crash reconstructionist Bridget Taylor) and her team will take a look at everything,” Hessel said.

In addition to OSP and the local fire agency, the Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office also responded, in addition to an Oregon Department of Transportation crew, which set up a detour.

A Sheridan man was killed in a two-vehicle crash involving a pair of full-size pickups Sunday, Oct. 13, just east of the crash site.

“The call went out, ‘Highway 18/milepost 35,’ and I thought, ‘what’s going on?’” said Hessel, who also responded to the most recent crash.