The freezing fog that has enveloped much of Central Oregon has been gorgeous to look at but tricky to drive on, with numerous accidents on local roads, one a nearly head-on crash on icy Highway 97 south of Madras that sent two people to hospitals Friday morning. The two-vehicle crash occurred seven miles south of Madras, near Juniper Butte, according to Oregon State Police. Melney Moore, 40, of Tigard, Ore., was southbound in a 1997 Ford pickup around 8 a.m. when she lost control on the icy road and crossed the centerline into the oncoming lane. Ian Yurdin, 32, of Bend, was northbound in his 1994 Volkswagen Passat when it was struck almost head-on by Moore’s pickup. Moore was listed in stable condition Friday afternoon at Central Oregon Community Hospital in Redmond. Yurdin was taken to St. Charles Medical Center in Bend, where he was treated and released. The crash blocked the highway for a time, troopers said. Other crashes occurred Thursday night at China Hat Road and Highway 97, and at O.B. Riley Road and the Old Bend-Redmond Highway. National Weather Service forecasters said winds should pick up over the weekend, finally easing the freezing fog situation, but a chance of snow or rain will return. After days stuck below freezing, highs are forecast to reach near 40 degrees. The slight chance of rain or snow showers lingers into early next week, when a drying trend brings partly cloudy skies for a few days.
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