A Bend motorist and two children were injured Tuesday afternoon when she allegedly pulled out in front of a water tanker truck at the intersection of Highway 20 and Gerking Market Road in the Tumalo area, authorities said.

Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies, Bend Fire paramedics and Oregon Department of Transportation employees responded to the crash shortly before 1 p.m., said sheriff’s Sgt. Gary Decker.

Investigators determined that a 1995 Nissan Ultima driven by Melinda Adair, 26, of Bend, which had been on Gerking Market, pulled out in front of a water tanker truck driven by Eric Nunez, 54, also of Bend, that was westbound on Highway 20, Decker said.

An Air Life of Oregon helicopter flew Adair to St. Charles Medical Center-Bend, where she was treated and released, according to a nursing supervisor. She reportedly was unconscious when officers arrived on the crash scene.

Two small children accompanying the woman were taken by ambulance to the Bend hospital, but deputies said they had been in their car seats and were not seriously hurt. Nunez, the truck driver, was unhurt.

Traffic on Highway 20 was temporarily stopped for the investigation and as Air Life was brought in, with a detour onto Gerking Market and Pinehurst roads.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 10th, 2004 at 6:13 pm and is filed under Oregon Press Releases, Top Stories. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.