WARM SPRINGS, Ore. -- Two people were killed Monday night in a head-on crash when a semi-truck driver lost control on a corner on U.S. Highway 26 on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation, Oregon State Police confirmed Friday.

They said the rig rolled and slid into the oncoming lane, where it collided head-on with a Jeep Cherokee, sending the trailer and SUV off the road.

OSP troopers responded around 9:16 p.m. to the two-vehicle crash on Highway 26 near milepost 74 and the intersection with state Highway 216 (the Wapinitia Highway) in Wasco County. 

Troopers said their preliminary investigation found a gold Volvo semi-truck hauling a 53-foot intermodal container, operated by Dagoberto Moreno-Prada, 31, of Eugene, was heading east on Highway 26 when he lost control while navigating a corner.

The semi-truck and trailer rolled and slid eastbound into the westbound lane of travel, where  westbound Jeep Grand Cherokee driven by J Natividad Martinez-Colin, 35, of Vancouver, Washington, struck the rig head-on.

The intermodal container, a large steel box used to transport freight, dislodged from the trailer on which it was being hauled, and both the container and the Jeep went through the guardrail and came to rest off the highway. The semi-truck rolled several more times before coming to rest on the highway.

Both drivers were pronounced dead at the crash scene, troopers said.

OSP said the highway was impacted for about eight hours during the on-scene investigation and recovery of the vehicles. ODOT said a 22-mile stretch of Highway 26 was closed for more than 12 hours, with detours in place, and reopened Tuesday morning.

OSP was assisted by Warm Springs Fire & Safety, the Warm Springs Police Department, and the Oregon Department of Transportation.

Earlier story:

WARM SPRINGS, Ore. – Oregon State Police confirmed to the Bugle on Tuesday that a fatality occurred in a car-semi crash near Beaver Creek Monday night that closed a 22-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 26 for some 14 hours.

The Oregon Department of Transportation had advised drivers to “expect extended delays or use an alternate route,” and to track traffic updates at TripCheck.com.

Eastbound traffic was detoured onto Oregon Highway 216, with a westbound detour up U.S. Highway 97 to U.S. 197 and then to Highway 216. ODOT noted that truck traffic is prohibited on Highway 197 through Maupin, so drivers were advised to use U.S. 97 and Interstate 84.

ODOT said in an update around 8:30 a.m. Tuesday morning, "This is a complex vehicle recovery and clean-up, (and) crews anticipate the closure to last another hour or two." Around two hours later, the agency reported that the highway had reopened.

An OSP representative told us Tuesday morning that it was a fatal crash and that a news release with details is likely to be issued in about 24 hours, allowing for notification of next of kin.

OSP Captain Chris Zohner said the two-vehicle crash involved a passenger vehicle and a semi-truck and trailer. Troopers cleared the scene around 2:30 a.m.

We will update this story when more information is available.