Salem woman critically injured in Highway 22 crash Sunday

A Salem woman suffered critical injuries in a crash that closed Highway 22 in Marion County for seven hours Sunday, state police say.

Around 3:22 pm Sunday, Oregon State Police troopers and emergency personnel responded to a crash involving multiple vehicles on the highway near milepost 43, according to a Monday news release. The crash took place between Detroit and Gates, the Oregon Department of Transportation said.

Police learned Maureen Connealy, 63 of Salem, was driving a Chevrolet Equinox west when she crossed the center line and hit a Freightliner headed east, driven by 43-year-old Jason Gress of Vancouver, Washington.

The Freightliner, owned by UPS and hauling double trailers, “jackknifed” into the westbound lane and struck a Honda Odyssey van driven by Raymond Frankel, 79 of Salem, police said in the release.

Connealy was transported by Life Flight to a local hospital with critical injuries. Frankel was transported via Life Flight with serious injuries while his passenger, 76-year-old Elizabeth Frankel of Salem, was taken by ambulance with minor injuries. Gress was uninjured, police said.

Contact reporter Ardeshir Tabrizian: [email protected] or 503-929-3053.

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